Chapter Seven

 

“Hey, I need you to do me a favor.” Julia sounded breathless and in a big hurry.

Cassie shifted the phone to rest between her shoulder and ear and pulled a notepad from her desk drawer. “Sure, what is it?”

“I have a party scheduled for Thursday night, but Griff needs me to go to a political function with him. Can you take over for me?”

“I guess I can. But couldn’t you just cancel it and reschedule?” Cassie double checked her calendar, even though she was sure she had nothing scheduled. “What time, and where?”

“Seven o’clock at the Briarstone Hotel, Room 301. The hostess is Kimberly Rey and it’s a wedding shower for her sister. The party is a surprise, and it was kind of a last minute deal. You need to get there around six to set up, then leave and come back at seven. Can you do that?”

“Sure. I’ll take care of it for you. But hey, I have an idea. Maybe we could make a trade. I have a birthday party I’d like to go to on Saturday that’s at the same time as my party. Want to trade? I’ll do yours and you do mine?” That would get her off the hook with Belinda, too. She wouldn’t have to face her, after all.

“I’m not sure. Let me check with Griff. I don’t know what his plans are, but if it’s okay, you have a deal. Then we won’t have to worry about commissions or anything. I’ll let you know tomorrow, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Well, it sounded good except for the asking Griff part. Julia acted like they were already married, and it didn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. Is this what would happen to her if she and Reed got serious? Would she have to consult him every time she wanted to do something?

And what about when their schedules conflicted like they did this weekend? Would he expect her to cancel her plans and fall in with his? If so, they were going to have a serious problem before they even got started.

***

Amanda sipped her tea, suppressing a grimace as the liquid slid down her throat. Why she would have expected anything different from the mayor’s wife, she had no idea. The woman was as sickeningly sweet as the drink.

God, she hated hypocrites. And Mary Alice Hanson was worse than most, mouthing piety while she shredded the reputations of half of the city’s society matrons. But she suited Amanda’s purposes for now, so she smiled and nodded and feigned interest in the goings-on of Mary Alice’s so-called friends.

“So tell me what’s happening with the Pleasure Party case. Why haven’t you arrested anyone yet? I thought it would all be shut down by now.” Mary Alice peered over the top of her glasses, looking like an old maid schoolteacher except for the fanatical gleam in her eyes.

“We’ve been looking for the best consultant to make an example of. It wouldn’t do to arrest someone who is an upstanding citizen in every other way. That could backfire on us. But I’ve found the perfect one. She’s giving a party tonight and I’m hoping to have an arrest before the evening’s over.”

Mary-Alice rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Perfect. Tell me about her.”

Just the opening Amanda had been hoping for. “Her name is Cassie Mills.”

Mary Alice’s eyebrows rose. “Sarah’s daughter? I had no idea.” Amanda resisted the temptation to grin. “I see you’ve heard of her. Her poor family doesn’t know what to think.”

“I can imagine. This will kill Sarah’s chance of getting elected to the Garden Club board when the ladies hear about it.”

Amanda was sure they’d hear all about it at the next meeting.

***

Reed yanked off his tie on the way to his bedroom and tossed it onto the dresser. The phone rang before he could unbutton his collar, but he was so damned tired of feeling strangled that he let it ring until he’d freed his neck from the chafing material of the oxford-cloth shirt.

He picked up the telephone on the fifth ring. Whoever it was, they were persistent. “Stevens.”

“Meet me at the Briarstone Hotel, room 301, at seven,” Amanda said. “Bring your cuffs, because we’re taking this one down.”

“Not tonight, Amanda. I’m tired. I’ve put in a full shift plus overtime. There’s no rush. Seems like there’s a party almost every night.” Reed finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it off. “I was just getting into the shower, and then I’m going to bed.”

“The mayor’s wife wants it done now. So unless you want to ride a desk, you’d better be there.”

Reed sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. Maybe it would be better to just get it over with. Then he could wash his hands of Amanda and the whole Pleasure Party mess. “Fine. I’ll be there at seven.”

“Wait. Maybe it would be better if I picked you up. It would look suspicious if we arrived in two cars. Be ready by six-thirty.”

The last thing he wanted was Mason in his apartment. He’d have to make sure he was downstairs when she arrived. “Whatever. I’ll meet you out front. The address is…”

“I know the address,” she said, interrupting. “The party is a surprise wedding shower for the hostess’s sister, so there won’t be any question about our presence. But we’ll wait until after the party is over and make the arrest outside the hotel room.”

Reed couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman would have Mason for a friend. But the fact that she was willing to use the woman to further her own agenda didn’t surprise him in the least. She was a user through and through.

He hung up and shucked the rest of his clothes. At least he had time for a shower, if not a nap. He wished he could take a cold beer into the shower with him, but thanks to Mason, he’d be back on duty in a couple of hours.

***

Cassie staggered into the elevator at six, loaded down with her product cases, her briefcase, and a purse. She was going to have to get more organized. Her back hurt like hell, and when she got home, she was going to have to do something about cleaning her apartment. She’d left everything in a mess in her rush to get ready for this last minute gig.

When the door opened to the third floor, she dragged her weary body out of the elevator and down the hall. This would be her first time to do a party for someone she didn’t know, and she wasn’t sure what to expect. She knocked on the door and it swung open to a fully decorated room, complete with cake and champagne.

A petite brunette greeted her with a conspiratorial grin. “Thank God. I was afraid Susan had returned early. I’m Jessica. Come on in.”

Cassie smiled and introduced herself, then asked where she should set up. Jessica directed her to the sitting area of the suite where a spot had been left clear of chairs.

By six-thirty, everything was ready so Cassie went down to the coffee shop to wait. At six-fifty her phone rang and Jessica told her to come back up. The other guests were arriving and her sister was running late.

By seven o’clock, most of the guests had arrived. There were still four empty chairs. “I’m assuming one of those is for the bride-to-be. Are there still others coming?”

Jessica nodded. “The groom-to-be, and a friend of mine and her date. They’ll probably arrive at the last minute. They had to work late. But we’ll have a full house.”

Cassie counted the chairs. Twenty-two. It should be a fairly profitable party, hopefully worth giving up her bubble bath for.

At seven-fifteen, the door opened to shouts of “Surprise!” and squeals and hugs for the young couple. Glasses of champagne were passed around, and Cassie sipped hers as she watched Susan’s eyes go wide when she caught site of Cassie’s wares. She grinned when Susan nudged her fiancé and his jaw dropped.

This looked like it would be the best party so far. She’d have to remember to thank Julia for letting her take over for her tonight.

***

Reed seethed as he settled into the driver’s seat of Mason’s gray Ford Taurus. He’d wanted to take his Camaro, but she insisted they use her official vehicle. It was meant to be nondescript, but to him the bland city issues had always screamed plainclothes cop. He rarely ever drove one. But she wanted to arrest the Pleasure Party consultant and needed the equipment in the trunk, and a backseat to put her in.

The constant squawk of the radio got on his nerves. He’d rather be responding to nuisance calls than making this arrest, and the temptation to answer a couple of the calls was overwhelming. He reached for the microphone once, but Amanda glared at him, so he let his hand fall back to the armrest.

“There’s no reason to be so mad. This is your job. These women are a menace, and they need to be stopped, so let’s just get the job done. Then you can go back to your strip clubs and whores.” Amanda put extra emphasis on the last word, making him wonder if there was a double meaning to her statement. Did she know about Cassie? He hadn’t said anything around the office, except to ask Jeremy if he could bring a date.

“I’m not mad, just frustrated. There are a lot worse criminals out there than these housewives trying to bring in a little extra money. This is a waste of our time and the public’s money. But, frankly, I’ll be glad to get it over with. Then I can go back to working alone.”

Amanda scooted closer and laid a hand on his thigh. “Being partners doesn’t have to be so bad, you know. There are things we could do during the down times, things that would take your mind off the job.”

Reed moved her hand back to her side of the car. “I’m not interested. I’d appreciate it if you’d remember that.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing, Reed. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about me switch hitting. Unlike some other women you know.”

What the hell? How had she found out about that? “Shut up, Amanda. You’re walking on real shaky ground. Sexual harassment goes both ways.”

She gave him another of those bone-chilling glares and subsided into a sulky silence. That suited Reed just fine. Just the sound of her voice grated on his nerves. He’d rather think about Cassie’s sweet voice, warm and smooth, like fine brandy.

The radio sparked to life again and this time Reed ignored Amanda’s demand to let it go. An officer was in trouble, and the mayor might order his head delivered on a platter, but Reed was going to help. Amanda would have to shoot him to stop him.

He made a screaming u-turn in the middle of the street, stuck the dome light on the roof, and raced to the scene twenty miles away. A drug bust gone bad, officer down. Hostages taken. What the hell had happened? God, he hated being out of the loop.

When he pulled up to the traffic jam of a dozen patrol cars, the SWAT wagon, two fire trucks, and an ambulance, Reed scanned the area for familiar faces. Eric Myers sat in the ambulance, blood streaming down his face. Reed slammed the door of the car and ducked down, making his way behind the tangle of vehicles until he reached the command post. “What happened?”

The Captain stuck his head out of the back of the SWAT van. “Anderson is a hostage, and from what Myers said, he’s been shot. I don’t know how bad he is, but if we don’t get him out of there soon, I don’t think he has a chance.”

“Has the hostage negotiator showed up yet?” Reed itched to storm the building and rescue Anderson himself, but he knew he’d only give them another hostage. There were rules to follow in situations like this, but he hated feeling helpless, unable to do anything but stand back and watch.

“He’s in the wagon. We have telephone contact. If you want to help, put on a vest and take up a position in case we have to go in.” The Captain looked past Reed, and from the grimace on his face, Reed knew Amanda had come up behind him. “What’s Mason doing here?”

“We were on our way to bust a Pleasure Party when the call came across. I figured the bust could wait.”

“I tried to get him to ignore the call, Cap, but he wouldn’t listen.” Amanda glared at Reed, hands fisted on her hips as though ready to take him down.

“You don’t ignore an officer down call, Mason. I don’t care how important your bust was, it doesn’t compare to one of our own in trouble.” The Captain put just enough emphasis on important to let Mason know what he thought about the whole Pleasure Party mess. Amanda stiffened and clenched her jaw, but she wisely remained silent.

Reed grabbed a Kevlar vest and slipped into it before carefully making his way to the ambulance so he could talk to Myers. “You okay?”

Myers gave him a weak grin. “I’ve been better.” He sobered quickly and his jaw tightened. “You gotta get Jeremy outta there, Reed.”

Reed squeezed the other man’s shoulder. “I’ll do my best. Tell me what the situation is in there.” He listened carefully as Myers gave him the rundown on what had happened.

“Anderson made the mistake of trying to save his contact. The dealers had the man pegged as a snitch, but they hadn’t figured us for cops yet. If he had just let it go, we’d be out one informant, but he wouldn’t still be in there.” Myers shook his head, then winced. “I caught a glancing blow that knocked me into the hallway. They slammed the door with Anderson still inside, then started yelling threats through the door.” His eyes begged Reed to believe that he hadn’t abandoned his partner. “Then I heard a shot and Anderson cried out.”

“It’s okay. We’ll get him out. Tell me about the apartment. How many rooms, how’s it laid out, what floor?”

He made notes and drew a diagram of the apartment as Myers talked, then he scanned the building until he located the apartment. The curtains were tightly drawn, but as he watched, a corner of the curtain moved slightly. Someone up there was watching them.

“You aren’t going in there, Reed. We still have time to make the tail end of that party and get our collar.” Mason stood behind him, legs slightly spread and back ramrod straight, a challenge in her eyes.

“I’m going in. If you’re so all-fired set on making that arrest tonight, do it yourself. You don’t need me. It’s not like there’s going to be any resistance.” He turned back to Myers. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

***

“This was so much fun. I’m sorry Julia couldn’t make it, but you did a great job.” Jessica handed Cassie a piece of paper. “Here’s my phone number. Call me this weekend and we’ll set up that party. My friends will think it’s a scream. I can’t wait.”

Cassie thanked Jessica and left the hotel room, her briefcase bulging with orders. It had been a fun party. But now she was so tired she could barely put one foot in front of the other. All she wanted to do was go home and go to bed.

Once the cases were loaded in the car, she slid behind the wheel, buckled her seat belt, and cranked the radio up loud enough to keep her awake—and wake up the whole neighborhood. She sang along with the music, not caring if she sounded like a goose in heat, as her mother had often told her when she was a teenager.

As she pulled onto Central Expressway, a news bulletin interrupted her favorite Willie Nelson song and she yelled at the radio. Then her throat closed as she heard that an undercover cop was being held hostage in a drug bust gone bad. Another cop had been shot. Was it Reed? She had no idea what he was working on. He’d been very closed mouthed about his current assignment and she hadn’t pushed.

The newscaster gave very little info, and Cassie had no idea how to contact Reed to see if he was safe other than to call his apartment. She dug out the cell phone and dialed, but his phone only rang and rang until the answering machine picked up. She left a frantic message and hung up. She thought about calling his cell phone, but if he was working, that could be dangerous for him. And she had no doubt that if he wasn’t being held hostage, he was at the very least busy trying to help.

There was nothing else she could do but go home and wait for him to call.

As tired as she was, she couldn’t go to bed until she knew Reed was safe, so Cassie started to clean the apartment as she listened to the news updates on the television. Two hours later, the standoff continued, but her kitchen was spotless. By midnight, she could see herself in the shine on her coffee table. By two in the morning, her dressers drawers were organized, the bathroom gleamed, and her shoes were shined and lined up under their matching outfits in the closet.

At three she fell asleep while alphabetizing her bookshelves. When her alarm went off at seven, she never heard it.

***

Reed climbed out of the patrol car in front of his apartment, waved to an exhausted but exuberant Myers, and dragged himself up the stairs to his apartment. He didn’t even bother to undress, but fell onto his bed fully clothed and was asleep within seconds.

He awoke to the sound of his answering machine clicking on. When he heard Cassie’s voice, he rolled over and grabbed the phone off the hook. “Hey, I’m here.” He waited for his canned message to finish playing. “I’m sorry. I was asleep. I was out all night on a crisis. What’s up?”

When she sobbed on the other end of the line, he sat up and propped his back against the headboard. “Cassie? Is something wrong? Where are you?”

It took a minute for her to find her voice. “I was so scared. I stayed up all night, waiting to hear from you, then I fell asleep on the floor. I was late to work and got docked a full day’s pay. When I got home, I realized someone had been in my apartment, and there wasn’t any message from you on my answering machine. Then you didn’t answer the phone when I tried to call you. This has been absolutely the worst day of my entire life.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. Someone was in your apartment? Did you call the police? You didn’t stay there, did you?”

“Of course I stayed here. They were long gone. In fact, I wouldn’t even have known someone was here if I hadn’t cleaned and organized everything all night long while I was waiting to hear if you were alive or dead. As for calling the police, that’s what I’m doing right now.” He heard her take a deep, shaky breath. “Why didn’t you call me? I left you a message.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I fell asleep as soon as I got home. I didn’t even take my clothes off. And I didn’t wake up until I heard the answering machine kick in.” This was the part he hated about his job. What it did to those at home. He knew he was safe, though there had been a few moments last night and early this morning when he hadn’t been sure how things were going to go down, but Cassie’d had no way to know, no way to find out. They’d kept the media as much in the dark as possible to avoid feeding information to the guys holding Anderson hostage, and to spare his family any more stress than necessary.

“It’s okay. I’m being stupid, as usual. I have a very fertile imagination, and sometimes it gets the best of me. But I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared.”

“Look, why don’t you come stay with me for the night, then I’ll check out your apartment tomorrow and install a deadbolt on your door so it won’t be so easy for someone to get inside. I don’t think I have enough energy left to go out, but I’d love to have company.”

“Are you sure? I’d feel so much better if I could see for myself that you’re okay.”

Reed chuckled. “Of course I’m sure. Especially if you’ll bring me something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Eat. Oh my god. I forgot all about the family meeting. My mother’s going to kill me.”

“Family meeting? Sounds serious. “ Did people really still do stuff like that? His family got together for holidays, birthdays, and Fourth of July barbeques, but he couldn’t remember ever having a family meeting.

“It starts in fifteen minutes. Look, I’d better at least make an appearance. As soon as I can get away, I’ll drive by La Madeline’s and pick us up a roast beef sandwich and soup. How does that sound?”

“My stomach is already growling. I’ll take a shower while I’m waiting. Just don’t be too long, or I’ll pass out from hunger.”

Cassie laughed. “An hour, tops. But I have no idea where you live.”

Reed gave her the address and directions. Then he headed for the shower with the beer he’d promised himself the night before. He deserved it after the night he’d had. For a full eight hour stretch, he’d had no idea how things would play out. The hostage takers had made ridiculous demands ranging from having pizza delivered to a million dollars and a free ride to Mexico. The pizza had been easy enough, and making the delivery had given Reed a chance to check out the layout of the apartment building.

They were holed up in a third floor apartment that fronted Royal Lane. There wasn’t a nearby building where sharpshooters could take up a position for a possible take down, so that meant going in and taking them out one by one.

After he’d set the pizza down outside the door as ordered, Reed had slipped silently into an adjoining apartment using a key acquired from the manager. The apartment was unoccupied, which suited Reed’s purposes. He’d walked from room to room, listening through the thin walls until he’d determined where everyone was located.

He could tell from listening to Anderson’s curses and threats that he wasn’t in immediate danger of dying. Mad as hell, but not bleeding out on the floor, at least. But he was rattling the dealers’ nerves, and it was only a matter of time before they decided shutting him up permanently was worth the risk of a death penalty.

When Reed was sure the dealers were all together in the kitchen eating the pizza, he slipped into a closet in the back bedroom that backed up to a corresponding closet in the adjacent apartment, and used a knife to silently cut a large square in the sheetrock. Then he slipped back into the living room to listen. He heard the telephone ring right on schedule and waited until he heard the dealers answer.

As quickly as he could without making any noise, he cut through the sheetrock into the other apartment. It was a good thing he and Anderson were both slim, because the two foot space between the studs was all the room they had to squeeze through.

Once inside, it took only moments to cut Anderson loose. Seconds later, Reed dragged him through the hole and carried him out of the building to freedom. As soon as they stepped through the lobby doors, the SWAT team lobbed tear gas through the kitchen window and rushed inside.

Reed followed the ambulance to the hospital. Myers was waiting, patched up and itching to get home to his wife and kids. As soon as they were sure Anderson would be fine, he and Myers headed for home.

Somewhere during that time, he should have called Cassie. But it had been so long since he’d had anyone worry about him, he hadn’t thought of it. If he and Cassie stayed together, that would have to change. And he wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of having to report his every movement again.

With a frustrated sigh, he drained the last of the beer and stuck his head under the pounding shower spray.