Forcing herself to turn around she looked up, farther than shed expected, to meet the enigmatic gaze of the man whod stopped her. Im sorry. She managed, somehow, to keep her voice dispassionate. Were in a hurry.
This will only take a moment. Detective Connally, maam. CPD. The silver badge imprinted with the telling star was held out for her perusal. She didnt need the badge or his words to accurately guess the mans profession. There was cop in his eyes, in his voice.
The mans low bass somehow matched his brooding features. His short-cropped haircut accentuated the brutal lines and hard angles of his face. But it was his eyes that compelled attention. A pale color reminiscent of fine whiskey, they were trained on her now with the unblinking gaze of a hawk focused on prey. The utter lack of expression in them sent a chill chasing over her skin.
A man wanted for questioning disappeared near here after some shots were fired. I want to talk to anyone who might have seen him.
Out of the corner of her eye, Meghan saw the cab pull up to the curb out front. Turning to her nephew she said, Go tell the driver Ill be out shortly, will you?
The boy opened the door and sped toward the vehicle. Gabe focused on the woman before him. It was no hardship. The bulky down coat she was wearing couldnt disguise the femininity of the form it enveloped. If hed been a sucker for big blue eyes and delicate bones his professional objectivity might have suffered. As it was, he allowed himself only one brief mental lament over the capricious weather that still caused sensible people to bundle up, and kept his gaze trained firmly on her face.
I dont think I can help you, Officer. I didnt notice anything.
Detective.
Pardon?
There was confusion in her wide blue eyes. He noted that her nose was a trifle upturned, her lips perhaps a fraction too full, as if nature had been compelled to stop just short of sheer perfection. A wise move on Mother Natures part, Gabe approved. Perfection was boring. Something told him that this woman was anything but.
Its Detective Connally.
Of course. The womans smile appeared strained.
But as I said, I didnt see anyone. I was too involved looking at the merchandise.
Gabe nodded and raised his notebook, flipped a page. And your name, maam?
My name?
Pen suspended above the paper, he explained, In case we should have additional questions to ask you at a later date.
Those full lips curved in a smile that tried to look casual. Of course. Its Tina Wilder. He jotted down the name, as well as the phone number and address she gave him when pressed. And he wondered what possible reason this woman would have to lie to him.
A cops experiences, hell, a lifetime of experiences had trained Gabe to recognize the subtle signals people gave off when they were straying from the truth. A tremor in the hands for some, eyes too fixed and bright for others. There were thousands of tell-tale signs, as individual as the people themselves. He wasnt even sure what tipped him off that Tina Wilder wasnt being completely forthcoming. Maybe it was her tone, just a trifle too polite, or her expression, just a little too impassive.
But then he looked into those big blue eyes of hers, eyes that could scramble the senses of a less wary man, and there he found his answer. Because behind her deliberately blank expression flickered an emotion much stronger. Even more intriguing.
Desperation.
Recognizing that emotion, he took his time drawing a card from his pocket. He handed it to her, watched carefully as she visibly tucked back her reluctance and reached for it. In case you remember something later, maam. You can reach me at that number or leave a message if Im not in. Ill get back to you as soon as I can.
When she nodded, he added, Id like to speak to the boy before you leave.
Her back stiffened, one vertebrae at a time. He cant help you, either. He was much too interested in the toys to observe anything else.
He tried for a rueful tone, tough for his low timbre, to soothe the nerves he suspected she was hiding. Youre probably right, but I have to be thorough.
Her lips curved, and he mentally revised his earlier estimation. They werent too full. They werent too anything. They appeared to bejust right.
Ill get him.
Detective. The clerks voice distracted him from her retreating form for a moment. This gentleman thought he heard something earlier.
Gabe looked in the direction of the man the clerk indicated and said, Ill be right with you, sir. Sending another glance outside, he gave a silent curse and yanked the door open, ran to the curb.
The cab was already pulling away.
You gotta give me an address sometime, lady. This is costing you a fortune. The driver adjusted the mirror, his eyes meeting Meghans. She hesitated, then recited her address. Her real address, of course. Not that of the fictitious Tina Wilder, which shed manufactured for the detective.
She took a deep breath to calm her jangled nerves. Was there some sort of law against giving a false identity to a police detective? She was certain there must be. But like it or not, she was the only one Danny had left to protect him. And although the idea of her newfound guardianship could still lace her with mind-numbing fear, shed do whatever it took to give the boy the stability that her own childhood had lacked. The stability his mother had failed to provide for him.
Aunt Meggie? She looked at her nephew, forced a reassuring smile, one that faded as he continued. You member that guy I told you about? The one in the alley?
Hey, I thought we were going to discuss your birthday. It was a topic guaranteed to shift Dannys attention.
Im going to have a real party, right? You promised.
His reminder was unnecessary, since he forced her to repeat the assurance several times a day. I promised.
Once he was on this particular subject, Danny was extremely tenacious. That means candles and cake. And friends. How many friends can I invite?
Not for the first time since Danny had come to live with her, Meghan felt hopelessly out of her depth. Im not sure.
How about six? Thats fair, cuz Im gonna be six.
Sheer terror seized her for a moment at the thought of dealing with seven six-year-olds. She drew a deep breath and released it. I guess. His reasoning sounded logical enough. What did she know, after all, about what was fair when planning a birthday party for a child? What did she know about any child, and Danny in particular? The answers were depressingly obvious.
Sweet! He bounced up and down in his seat, testing the restraint of his seat belt. Shed successfully sidetracked his thoughts from the man hed seen in the alley. And from the compelling detective who had questioned Meghan. She wished futilely that her own attention could be diverted as easily.
The sight of her apartment building had never been so welcome. Meghan punched her code into the security system, anxious to reach the privacy of her home. Her relief might be unfounded, but she would feel safe there from the shrewd gaze of the detective and from questions that shed be better off avoiding.
Aunt Meggie?
Hmm? The door swung open, and she guided Danny into the foyer of the building.