Chapter Nine

 

"Tell me about the man you're writing about."

Ki looked up from his study of the papers scattered all around him. While his arm still ached, it wasn't as bad as it had been first thing that morning. He hated the frustration of tangling himself up in the sling and only kept it close by if he moved around. The doctor said just to make sure not to move his arm around too much. Sitting here working one handed was awkward, but he was grateful his injuries weren't worse.

Syd had mentioned taking the kids out for the morning and he decided that was as good a time as any to get back to work. After all, it was why he'd come out here.

He slipped off his reading glasses and set them to one side.

"You really want to hear about Thomas Baskin? He isn't a very nice man. Not exactly the kind of person you'd want to meet in a single's bar."

Syd's lips curved in amusement. "I didn't say I wanted to date him. Don't worry, Ki, I've had my share of experience with the seamier side of life. Telling me about him won't give me nightmares."

He inclined his head in acknowledgement of her statement, “Where are the kids?" He knew it wouldn't be a good idea for Heidi or Jamie to overhear his words.

“Heidi was tired out from our morning spent at Kiddie's Ville, and Jamie's in the living room playing his video games.” Syd dropped onto the end of Ki's bed, dislodging papers and photographs. She picked up one of the photographs taken at one of the murder scenes and studied it carefully She shook her head.

"Obviously, this guy doesn't like women very much." She set it down. "So tell me about him."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "You said you were having trouble putting things in place. You've spent a lot of time going over your notes and looking at photos and not as much time at the computer as you'd like. Maybe if you talk to me about Baskin, what you've learned about him and what you hope to show in your book, it might help you put things in perspective. I used to wish I had someone to talk things over with when it got rough."

Ki's writer's instincts instantly took over. He had an idea if anyone's life would make a good book, Syd's experiences would. "Like what?"

Syd looked off into space. "Oh, there was a time in Madrid when I was following a psychotic arms dealer who was planning a huge sale of weapons to a small Middle Eastern country." The memory still made her blood run cold. "The thing was, he frequented men’s clubs and it wasn't all that easy for me to get close to him. The man I usually partnered with was off on another assignment since it wasn't felt that both of us were needed."

Ki picked up his pen and started doodling on his legal pad. "You partnered with a guy?"

She nodded. "Mike was great. We worked together for about three years and got to the point where we could read each other's minds."

He felt the burning pangs of something he wasn't all that familiar with jealousy.

"You were real close, huh?"

Syd reached over the side of the bed and picked up Bogie, who promptly draped himself across her lap and closed his eyes. Cocoa jumped up and walked with canine unconcern over Ki's papers until he reached Ki's pillow and curled up on the smooth percale.

"Why don't you make yourself at home," he growled at the dog, who looked at him with large brown eyes then closed them.

"Sorry, I've sort of spoiled them," Syd explained.

"If you're out of the country so much, why did you get a dog?" he asked. "And then get a second one?"

She shook her head. "I guess it was because I walked into a pet store and there was this tiny brown ball of fur who said I now belonged to him. I was in the middle of my vacation, and I think even then, I was considering leaving the agency. Bogie joined the family because I didn't want Cocoa to be lonely. They stayed with Shane and Jenny when I was away on an assignment."

"With Mike," Ki muttered, wondering just how close she was to her partner.

Syd cocked her head to one side. She'd tied her hair up in a ponytail on one side of her head. As always, she was dressed simply in leggings, heavy socks and a sweater that was cropped at her waist. But as always, it was her scent that he felt described her best. Exotic, erotic and utterly feminine.

Ki was fascinated with the seductive view of bare skin revealed each time she moved her shoulders. He bet she looked as sexy in casual clothes as she would in an evening gown.

"You sound as if you don't like Mike," she commented. "And you haven't even met him."

"Hey, if you like him, he must be a great guy," he pretested with little sincerity. "I'm sure he's a real prince. An all right guy. The kind of guy everyone likes."

"And very happily married.”

Ki's mouth closed on whatever else he was going to say. "Married?"

She nodded. "He got married not long after our last assignment. He's now a supervisor over agents in Western Europe and has a lovely office in D.C. Last I heard his wife was pregnant." She leaned over. "And Ki." She waited until he looked at her. "There was never anything between us. I considered Mike another brother and he saw me as a younger sister. While we had to work closely together and even in what could be construed as an intimate situation, we never became intimate."

"But you could have," he pressed.

"We could have, but we chose not to. There haven't been all that many men in my bed," she said candidly. "Mainly because of what I did for a living. It wasn't the greatest way to meet men. When I did, I couldn't divulge my profession. I did not go to bed with the enemy to gain information, and I wouldn't have gone to bed with my partner unless there was a mutual strong feeling between us." She shrugged. "As it was, we knew a love affair could ruin our concentration in crucial times. Would it make you feel better if I gave you a rundown on the men I've slept with? I don't know what exactly you want to know, so you'll have to give me an idea. Vital statistics? A rating as to how they were in bed, what we did and what I liked them doing to me? What?'" She pushed him. Her eyes glittered with icy blue lights. "Come on, Ki, What do you want to hear?"

Ki started to lunge for her, but Bogie's raised head and low warning growl stopped him.

"Dammit, I don't want a list of your lovers," he growled, pushing the papers off his lap. "Look, you talk about some guy you must have worked with day and night and how you read each other's minds, so it's natural I'd think the two of you were also great in the sack."

Her lips parted in a surprised oh. "You're jealous."

Ki fidgeted under her wide-eyed regard. "Damn straight I'm jealous," he grudgingly admitted. "I'm jealous of any bastard who's been in bed with you when I haven't yet."

"Be careful, Ki. Someone might think you really care."

He shook his head at her gentle teasing. "Sometimes it gets to you. Just like the mumps."

Syd looked down at the dog sleeping in her lap. She ran her hand across his back in a slow sweep. She could feel the tension building. After all, she and Ki were sitting on his bed.

One child was asleep; the other was engrossed in a video game that Syd knew could keep him entertained for hours.

Who would know if she edged both dogs out the door and closed it after them? Unless the dogs started barking and howling or Heidi woke up and came looking for her or. The list was endless. She slowly lifted her head.

"Tell me about Thomas Baskin."

Ki knew she wasn't ignoring the tension between them. She was only putting it on hold for a while. Which was fine with him. The prospect of kids walking in at any moment was more than it little daunting.

"Thomas Baskin is very good looking, very charming and very lethal," he began. "He loves women enough to marry them and hates them enough to kill them without a second thought."

"How many?"

"Don't you read the papers? He was on national news for I don't know how many weeks."

"I gave up CNN for Nickelodeon. How many women?"

"The cops were able to nail him for seventeen murders in ten states. He admitted he lost count a long time ago and states there's even more than that. Authorities are still going through old records of unsolved homicides in those states where a wife was killed and the husband wasn't implicated. He might have kept up with it longer if he’d used a spy kit like yours.”

Syd gave a low whistle. "Nice guy I wonder how many women out there are grateful he didn't ask them for a second date."

"Quite a few, according to the tabloid TV shows."

He sorted through his notes and picked out one sheet. He handed it to her. "This is what he told me about the first woman he killed."

Syd scanned the sheet. "I know there have been husbands who have killed their wives because they think she's seeing another man and they're afraid she's going to leave them. And some of them find out later they're wrong. Obviously, Baskin thought he was in the right every time or I would think he'd have stopped."

"I don't think he ever would have stopped," Ki said, getting into the crux of the story. "That's what I want to tell my readers. This man didn't just enjoy killing. He enjoyed killing women he was married to. He never thought of harming a woman he only dated. They didn't mean as much to him on an emotional level. But his wives meant a lot to him. He quickly learned his role as a grieving widower had the women on him like fleas on a dog. It wasn't long before he remarried and went through all the same insecurities."

"An addiction," Syd murmured. "He was hooked."

Ki's eyes lit up. "Yeah. He couldn't stop because he was addicted to killing his wives. Funny, I didn't think secret agents could zero in on your ordinary serial killers."

"You, of all people, know that serial killers aren't ordinary. Besides, I've always been fascinated by a killer's mind," she admitted. "That arms dealer I followed in Madrid used to get his jollies from killing women in not very nice ways. The more pain they revealed, the more pleasure he got from it."

"Bet he had a hell of a time getting a second date from a woman," Ki quipped, utilizing the dark humor known in any kina of work dealing with the horrors of human nature.

"That's what Mike said. I figured the creep only got lucky through personal ads,'

"He's still around?"

Syd shook her head. "He made a big mistake by taking out what turned out to be the sister of a rival dealer. It seems her brother had kept her safe by using another name and he took great care when visiting her. Rumor had it she had a fight with him over something and she knew Ramon was her brother's biggest rival. She just had no idea about Ramon's little quirks. His idea of a private party put her in the hospital where she had to have extensive plastic surgery on her face and chest area. She was later moved to a private nursing home for intensive counseling. She couldn't handle it and later committed suicide. Her brother had Ramon picked up and he personally skinned him alive," she said matter of factly.

Ki had to admit he was impressed. "Sweetheart, you ran in some pretty tough circles."

"I told you. I was a danger junkie. For me, walking that fine line was more fun than skydiving."

He winced at her idea of fun. Ki considered himself a freewheeling guy, but skydiving wasn't exactly near the top of his list of things to do.

"Maybe I should have you talk to Baskin. Although, you two would probably compare notes."

"I don't think he'd be all that impressed with me. I don't kill my men. Good ones are too difficult to come by." Syd shifted her position, curling her legs under her. Bogie moaned as she moved him, then fell back asleep.

Ki's lips twitched. "Come by?"

"Don't look for something that isn't there, Jones," she chided. "Now, be good. I came in here to help you with your book. Let's talk about Baskin's addiction to killing his wives. Was there a particular point in the marriage when he felt the urge? Did a little voice sound off inside his head? Or did his wife just happen to say the wrong thing one night, which set him off? Maybe she didn't have dinner ready on time. There has to be a very cold side to his nature that allowed him to get away with it as long as he did. After all, he was hardly ever considered the police's prime suspect, even though it's usually the spouse who's under suspicion first. What was so special about him?"

"He was so sincere about his grief for his dead wife, the police automatically believed him," he replied. "I talked to one of the detectives who had questioned him after one of the first murders. He told me he usually suspects the husband first thing, but Baskin was so horrified and grief stricken he only felt sorry for the guy. When Baskin moved out of the area a few months later, no one thought anything about it. They figured he just wanted to get away from the memories. The fact that he walked away with a half million dollars from her insurance policy didn't even occur to them. This cop is a seasoned veteran, a man who's seen everything. But even he was fooled by Baskin. That's how good he is."

"Then say so,” Syd said simply. "Tell your readers that, unfortunately, the guy who they think is Mr. Right could be Mr. Wrong in the worst way. While many women want a husband and a home and children, they have to know there are some men out there who aren't what they need. Point out that Baskin's wives weren't insecure women just looking for a man."

"You're very good at this."

She preened under his compliment. "It's just a different point of view, that's all."

"And a good one," He leaned across the papers and planted a quick kiss on her lips that quickly warmed to more.

Syd leaned into his kiss, then enjoyed his alternate nibbles and murmurs,

"Auntie Syd, Heidi's up and she's yellin' ‘cause she can't find her blue socks!" Jamie shouted.

Syd opened her eyes at the same time she felt Ki's hand slide away from her breast.

"Tell you what, handsome, I'll meet you at the hot tub later tonight and do something about that problem of yours," she whispered, audaciously patting the front of his jeans before she got off the bed.

After a saucy smile and lips pursed in an airy kiss, she was out of the room with Cocoa and Bogie on her heels.

Ki took a deep breath, realizing too late he had inhaled the lingering scent of Syd's perfume. His body tightened further to an unbearable arousal.

“It can't happen soon enough," he muttered, carefully making his way off the bed and heading for the bathroom. Right now, he needed an ice cold shower.

 

SYD QUICKLY LEARNED that it wasn't easy to choreograph a seduction when children were around. Especially children who, for the first time in days, didn't start winding down during dinner.

"How come we don't have any dessert?" Jamie asked as he ate the last bite of chicken'.

"Because we don't have anything in the house," Syd replied.

"Can't we have ice cream?" Heidi begged, brightening up at the idea of a treat. She lifted pleading eyes to Ki. "Can we, Ki? Can we go for ice cream? Please?"

He knew he should tell her she should ask Syd. He knew he should just flat out say no. But there was something about her eyes, the same vivid blue shade as her aunt’s that was instantly turning him into putty. He turned to Syd, sending her a silent plea.

"Heidi, don't you think it's too cold to eat ice cream?"

The little girl shook her head back and forth, then quickly switched her attention back to Ki who she instinctively knew was weakening. "Chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite," she confided, fluttering her eyelashes at him the way only a five-year-old girl can and get away with.

"Anything with chocolate in it is your favorite," Jamie jeered.

Heidi spent a scant second glaring at her brother before turning her charm on Ki again." I bet it's your favorite, too," she said softly.

He looked at Syd. "You gotta give her credit for persistence. Talk about a charmer."

"Sugar, especially at the end of the day, means hyper," Syd said succinctly.

"It can't be that bad," he wheedled. "Come on, Syd, let's see where we can find the little lady chocolate chip ice cream. My treat." He flashed Syd a grin that was decidedly predatory. "I’m in the mood for something sweet."

"Yay!" Heidi bounced up and down, unaware of the tension roiling between the two adults, although Jamie looked from one to the other as if sensing something was happening and he wasn't too sure he liked it.

Syd set her fork down on her plate with a decided clink. You wouldn't rather watch a video that will get them all relaxed and drowsy?" she suggested.

By now, Ki was feeling important under Heidi's hero worship. "Let's give them a treat, Syd," he urged. "They've been really good today. There's a great ice cream place not far from here. What do you say?"

She shot him a look that seemed louder than the kids' excited shouting as they jumped up and ran for their coats.

Since his shoulder felt better, Ki offered to drive when the reached the Jeep

I can disengage a simple car alarm,” he told Syd as she held up a small remote device. She had tucked her hair up under the navy knit cap again.

"Not like this one." She punched in a series of buttons, and then waited until two short beeps alerted her that the alarm was disengaged. “Okay “ She handed him the keys.

"Pretty fancy alarm for a single mother driving a Jeep," he teased, opening the passenger door for her and the rear doors for the kids who quickly scrambled aboard. "Someone would think you were carrying something dangerous in there." His laugh abruptly shut off at her innocent expression. His arm quickly shot out, to bar her climbing inside the vehicle. She looked up, surprise written on her face. "What do you have in this truck?" he hissed.

Syd looked over her shoulder. "Two children."

"Cut the crap, Syd. What is in this truck?" he asked in a fierce voice.

She smiled and reached up to pat his cheek. "Don't worry about it, Ki." She slipped under his arm and climbed inside. "Are we going or not?"

His first reaction was to say no. Until he looked at Jamie's and Heidi's expectant faces. There was no way in hell he could ruin that. He uttered a curse and slammed Syd's door before stalking around the front of the Jeep. He was afraid even to think what might be hidden in the rear. He considered sneaking out later for a search, but after seeing the complicated alarm system she had for the truck; he admitted it would be fruitless.

"Ki, will the ice cream store have chocolate chip ice cream?" Heidi asked during the drive.

"Honey, every good ice cream store has chocolate chip ice cream, and the store we're going to is a very good one." His mind still raced with possibilities. Syd claimed she was a government agent. But even they could go bad. Drugs were instantly ruled out. He couldn't imagine her transporting stolen goods such as rare artworks or jewels. That definitely wasn't her style. Not to mention he couldn't imagine she would do anything illegal.

What did that leave? His writer's mind asked. What kind of scum has she dealt with in the past?

As the answer wrote itself in big block letters on the blackboard in his brain, Ki's foot instantly slipped off the accelerator and stomped the brake.

"Ki!" Syd grabbed the dashboard as the Jeep began to slide across the road. Luckily, there was no oncoming traffic and. he was able to get the truck back under control.

He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to stare at her.

She stared back and didn't look all that happy.

"What were you trying to do? Kill us all?"

He opened his mouth, fully prepared to demand a few answers. Before he could say anything, he noticed two small faces out of the comer of his eye. He snapped his mouth shut and turned back to the steering wheel.

"Nothing," he said shortly, putting the truck in gear and slowly driving down the road. "Not a thing."

"Are we still going for ice cream?" Heidi voiced the fear uppermost in her mind.

Ki concentrated on the dark road ahead of them.

"Yes, Heidi, we're still going."

"I'm surprised an ice cream shop would be open this time of year," Syd commented, more to break. the silence than because she was curious.

"Tourists make it this far out of Tahoe, especially if they're looking for more than just the casinos or shows," Ki replied. "It used to be a shopping center but it eventually went broke. Somebody came up with the idea of turning it into sort of a gigantic food park, and it wasn't long before it took off. You name what kind of food you're in the mood for and you'll find it there."

"Too bad I didn't know about it sooner."

"Since we haven't suffered from food poisoning so far, I don't think we need to worry about eating out," Ki told her.

"Spies have ways of making food more interesting," she said under her breath, earning her a killing glare from Ki. "Wow!" She let out a soft breath when Ki pulled into a left turn lane.

Silvery foil balls hung from each lamp, and gaily colored lights were strung between them. A giant Santa waved from his sleigh set on top of the center building. At one end was what looked like a gingerbread house and a sign announcing Santa's hours.

"Talk about food wonderland," Syd commented.

"Santa's here!" Heidi said excitedly, bouncing in her seat.

"Honey, he's only here during the daytime," Syd explained, privately vowing to bring the little girl back during the day to visit with Santa.

"Pizza, chicken, Chinese," Jamie said, scanning the brightly lit signs. "We shoulda had dinner here!' Syd reached over her shoulder and playfully tickled his leg, which was all she could reach.

"If you're complaining, I'll happily let you do the cooking tomorrow."

"You know I can't cook!" He giggled.

"Good thing for us you can't. Who knows what you'd whip up," she teased. Syd turned around as Ki pulled up in front of the Mountain High Ice Cream Factory. A familiar logo on the store next door caught her eye. A soft "oh" escaped her lips.

"Sweet Treat," she whispered in what sounded like awe. Before Ki could walk around to the passenger side, she'd hopped out and opened the door for Heidi, getting her out of her seat.

"It's heaven."

He looked confused by her interest. ”What? The candy shop?"

Syd shook her head. "Ki, we are not talking about just a candy shop. We are talking Sweet Treat. The ultimate candy shop. They're the only ones that make Brown Sugar Creams." Just staring at the shop made her mouth water with anticipation.

Ki slung an arm around her neck and steered her back to the ice cream shop.

"Careful, killer, you're drooling on the sidewalk," he growled in her ear as he pushed open the glass door and aImost dragged her inside.

Heidi and Jamie immediately ran over to the display counter to press their noses against the glass while studying the large selection of ice cream flavors. A singer lamenting Grandma being run over by a reindeer blared over the loudspeaker.

Syd seriously thought about socking Ki in the arm. Hard. "You don't understand. Brown Sugar Creams are the absolute best candy around. There is nothing to compare with them. There were months when I couldn't get them and all I could do was fantasize about gorging myself on them."

"Fine, if it will make you feel better, we'll stop by on our way out and pick up a few so you won't freak out in the middle of the night because you're going through some crazy withdrawal." He shook his head in amazement. "I can't believe it. All this fuss about candy."

"That candy is better than sex!" Syd declared, unaware her voice had grown louder with each word;

At that same moment the music stopped and all talk was suspended as the customers' attention was riveted on Syd. Undaunted by what could be considered an embarrassing remark, she merely smiled back

Her knit cap had slid sideways, revealing falling strands of copper penny hair brushing her shoulders. Even dressed in a heavy jacket and the dark cap, she looked lovely in his eyes. He also couldn't stop thinking of how she might look in the hot tub, with nothing but steam surrounding her.

He wondered if the kids could be persuaded to eat their ice cream in the Jeep on the way back to the house, and if they could be hustled right off to bed before they had any idea what hit them.

"Sweetheart, you have a very unique way of keeping a low profile." Ki dragged her over to the counter where Jamie pointedly refused to look at them.

"She does this all the time when she sees that candy store," Jamie said, barely moving his lips. "Dad said the candy made her nuts."

Ki noticed several men looking at Syd with the kind of grins on their faces that said they were more than willing to show her sex could be better than candy.

"No, Jamie, I'd say she was nuts long before that candy came into her life."

"Chocolate chip! The man said they have chocolate chip ice cream!" Heidi grabbed Ki's hand. "And he said he can put hot chocolate sauce on it, too! I asked him. And they have peppermint ice cream ‘cause it's a Christmas ice cream! He said peppermint's what candy canes are made of."

"Terrific. A sugar high before bedtime. Tonight, you can have the pleasure of putting them to bed," Syd declared, hoping the kids would make Ki suffer as much as she had the evening she made the supreme mistake of giving them chocolate cake before bedtime.

Ki felt as if he could do no wrong. "Fine, then you can see how it should be done. Sugar high. Buzz words. That’s all they are." He shook his head. "How difficult can it be? You just have to be firm with them. If you show them who's boss, you don't have any trouble with them."

"Of course not," Syd said gravely, although deep down she wanted to explain she' d learned the hard way that parenting wasn't as easy as he was making it out to be.

Ki didn't even stop to think that he sounded very much like a father instead of a man who was determined that home, hearth and family wasn't for him. If he had realized it, he probably would have run for the nearest border. But then, if he stopped long enough to look at Syd's smile, bask in Heidi's little girl awe and laugh with Jamie, he probably wouldn't have even tried to walk away.