Линси Сэндс - Meant to Be Immortal [calibre]

CJ nodded. “I have to at least see what he has to say for himself to write my report.”

“Do you want me to call you when they pick him up?”

CJ shook her head. “I’ll come over at 2:45 as planned. I promised I’d be here until then for anyone who might have helpful information, so we may as well stick to the three o’clock appointment.”

“I’ll make sure to be back before that, then,” Dupree said, and nodded to them before heading out.

CJ watched him go, and then glanced at the clock on the restaurant wall. It was only 12:45. She had two hours to wait until she could leave the diner, she realized, and frowned at the knowledge. Two hours was a long time. Squeezing Mac’s hand, she smiled when he shifted his attention from the retreating captain to her.

“You don’t have to wait here with me. Why don’t you and the guys take my car and go check out any houses they have for rent or sale in the area. You’ll need a new home base now.”

“Actually,” he said slowly, squeezing her hand and raising it to his lips to kiss, “I was thinking I might like to set up shop somewhere else . . . like Mississauga.”

CJ’s eyes widened with surprise. “You were?”

Mac nodded and then asked with concern, “Would you mind?”

“Heck, no, I’d love that,” she admitted, and then realized that maybe she was being a little too honest, and glanced away with embarrassment.

But Mac caught her chin and turned her back to face him. Expression solemn, he said, “I’d love it too.”

CJ smiled crookedly, and then leaned forward to press a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. At least that was her intention. However, he turned his head at the last minute, catching her lips with his, and she ended up giving him a proper kiss, that was just starting to deepen when Bricker said, “Oh, man, you two. Get a room.”

CJ and Mac broke apart guiltily and turned to see that Bricker and Decker were sliding into the booth with them.

“So?” Bricker raised his eyebrows. “What’s the news? It sounded like they got the guy who started the fire?”

“Yes. It was an insurance job, not a murder attempt,” CJ told them.

“Which means you guys don’t have to stick around anymore,” Mac added.

Bricker feigned an injured expression and asked Decker, “Is it just me? Or does he sound kind of happy about that to you?”

“It’s not just you. He sounds happy,” Decker said with a sad moue that just looked ridiculous on the man.

“That’s gratitude for you, eh?” Bricker asked.

“Oh, stuff it,” Mac said with amusement. “No one’s buying your poor wounded act. Besides, I’m just relieved to know no one wants me dead.”

“Good, because if it was that Officer Jefferson in the red pickup, then he was probably aiming for CJ and that means we should stay until he’s been arrested and no longer a threat to her,” Decker said quietly.

CJ’s mouth slipped open with surprise and she shook her head. “You don’t have to stay for me. I mean, you guys work for Argentis and they have no responsibility to see to my safety.” Even as she said the words, her mind was turning the information over in her head. Jefferson owned a red pickup. He might have been behind the wheel of the truck that had tried to run her down. He might have been trying to bring an end to her investigation. Jeez, he might have been trying to kill her, and he might try again. The idea shocked her. She’d never had anyone try to kill her before. It was hard to absorb and accept.

“The people we work for look after the well-being of not only our people but their partners,” Decker told her solemnly. “And I gather you two are involved now.”

CJ glanced quickly at Mac and away. She could actually feel her cheeks heating with a blush. Dang, she was reacting like a teenager with her first boyfriend, and he wasn’t even her boyfriend. At least, they hadn’t discussed anything having to do with whatever it was they were doing. Although he had just said he was moving to the Mississauga area in a way that made it seem like it was to be near her, so she supposed they were doing something, she thought, and then turned with relief to Laurie when the waitress appeared at the end of the booth.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but there are a small group of young folks here who want to talk to Ms. Cummings, but they aren’t comfortable approaching with the rest of you here,” she said apologetically.

“There are other tables open now. We’ll move to one of them,” Mac said at once, and leaned to the side to kiss her cheek before sliding out of the booth. “Just shout if you need us.”

CJ stared after him, a little sigh slipping from her lips. That peck on the cheek had left her skin tingling like she’d rubbed tingling tanning lotion on her face, and it was moving out from there to the rest of her body. The man was crazy hot and sexy and thank goodness he’d moved to another table. It was the only chance she had to actually get some proper work done. It was hard to concentrate with him close.

Her thoughts were distracted when a trio of teenagers approached the table. Crowding close together, and eyeing her with a combination of fear and determination, they stood next to the table waiting politely.

CJ invited them to sit and turned on her tape recorder.

CJ hit Send, emailing the report to her boss. She then sat back and twisted her neck one way and then the other to try to ease the crick she had in it from sitting hunched at the computer for so long. It had been a busy few days. Once the men had moved to another booth in the diner, it had been nonstop people approaching her to pass on information they had about Jefferson. Very little of it had been something that could be used in a court of law, but she’d put most of it in her report to her boss. She’d gone to the police station after that, accompanied by Mac, Decker and Bricker. They’d all reviewed their statements and signed them, and then waited a good hour for Jefferson to show up, but he never had. He hadn’t been arrested either. It seemed the man had disappeared. The captain suspected that Jefferson’s wife being at her parents’ and their refusing to let him speak to her when he’d called searching for her had tipped him off, but the man also had a radio at home and had most likely heard the APB called out on him. He’d been missing when the officers had gone to the house, and he hadn’t shown up for his shift either. It was looking like he’d “done a runner.”

CJ had waited around the station for a while, but after the captain had promised to contact her if they were able to find and arrest him, she and the men had returned to the bed-and-breakfast where she’d met Mac’s sister, Katricia. She’d liked the woman, and fortunately his sister wasn’t holding her job against her. They’d got along great and visited for a while, and then they all went out to dinner, dragging Mrs. Vesper along with them since the rest of her clients had cleared out now that the wedding they were attending was over.

After that they’d returned to the bed-and-breakfast and sat on the porch chatting, half the group spilling onto the lawn there were so many of them. It had been a blast. CJ had never laughed so much in her life as she did that night, although her week on the island with Marguerite and Julius had come close. It had been late when Katricia had left to drive back to Port Henry and CJ and Mac had gone upstairs. He’d said he’d walk her to her door, and he had, but he hadn’t left until the next morning and then it was only long enough for him to shower and change in the RV. CJ had done the same in her room, and then met him downstairs to go interview Keith Kaye, Mark Loop, and Mike MacDonald. She hadn’t expected to be able to interview Mark Loop, but he’d regained consciousness during the night and was able to tell her what he recalled of what happened. It was exactly what they’d seen: Officer Jefferson had stopped him, smashed his back light, and then attacked Mark when he started cussing at the man and threatening to complain to the captain about his actions. Jefferson may have started out a good cop, but he had definitely turned into one of those bad cops she wanted to see off the streets.