HelenKay Dimon - Night Moves

This was all Maura’s fault. She had him driving in circles, stuffing her into his trunk and otherwise acting like a man without a drop of common sense. The more she talked, the more confused he got. And the more he wanted her.

The officer met Liam as he stepped out of the car. “It’s a bit early for a visit, isn’t it?”

“Where have you been?” Detective Spanner asked.

Liam knew the man. With three hundred or so people in the Alexandria Police Department, Liam had never worked with Rick Spanner, but he was the detective who showed up at Dan’s house the day before. While Spanner’s partner had dropped disturbing hints about Maura’s part in the explosion, Spanner had played good cop. Liam wondered which role he’d try this morning.

“I’ve been out,” Liam said.

“With anyone in particular?”

He tried not to think about Maura curled up in his car. “Do we have a problem here?”

“Why don’t we move this discussion off the street and into your house?”

From the reasonable tone and calming hand gestures, Liam guessed the detective was aiming for friendly. Didn’t matter to Liam since he didn’t plan on talking with or trusting the guy. If he were going to tell someone about Maura, it would be Dan.

“I think we can talk just fine right here,” Liam said.

“You have something to hide, Officer Anderson?”

“It’s Mr. Anderson, but I think you know that.” Hell, everyone knew that. It wasn’t as if that part of his life stayed private. Liam had the six-inch scar on his leg to remind him every single day.

“I have some questions,” Spanner said.

“At this time of the morning?”

The detective nodded as he glanced around the front of the property. “I’d like to handle this in the least disruptive manner for you.”

Yeah, sure he would . “What is the this again?”

“Maura Lindsey.”

“What about her?”

The detective picked that moment to break off and walk around the car. “She’s missing. Her boss is missing. I think you can see the problem.”

“You told Dan both Hammer and Maura died in the lab.”

“She is very much alive.” The detective leaned with his palms flat against the hood. “There’s no body, but I’m guessing that’s not news to you.”

“Why?”

“Not even a flicker of surprise at the idea of Maura being safe somewhere.” The detective smiled. “Your lack of reaction gives you away.”

Liam’s mind rushed to come up with a reasonable explanation. “Your partner all but blamed Maura at Dan’s apartment. False accusations seem to be the sum total of your investigation so far.”

The detective slipped around the vehicle, stopped at the trunk. “I’m trying to track her down. She could be a victim, but I can’t know that until I find her.”

“Ask her friends where she hangs out.”

Liam sweated out every minute of the detective’s casual stroll, but tried not to show any outward reaction. If the other man sensed panic, he’d be all over Liam. There was no reason for the detective to open the car or think Maura hid in there. But the man had descended on the house at this hour for a reason. Didn’t take Maura’s I.Q. for Liam to figure out the connection.

“She’s not the social type. Her circle appears limited to the office, her brother and you.”

Liam turned that comment over in his mind. That couldn’t be right. How could a vibrant, beautiful young woman not have an active social life? He knew from Dan that Maura didn’t date much. Dan chalked it up to a stressful and demanding job. Liam wasn’t so sure.

“I’m close to Dan, not Maura.”

“I’m trying to handle this before the FBI steps in.” Spanner started moving again.

Liam didn’t know he held his breath until it rushed out in relief at seeing the detective step away from Maura’s hiding place. “Why would it?”

“An explosion in a government lab and a missing highprofile scientist? I know you’re not a cop anymore, but you should be able to reason it out. Way I figure it, by tomorrow morning agents will be crawling all over this thing.”

“And you don’t want to lose your jurisdiction over the case to the feds.”

The detective wandered around the driveway. “Something like that.”

“I’m not interested in your turf war.”

The detective leaned with his back to the driver’s-side door. “Unless you want a whole bunch of law enforcement crawling all over your house tomorrow, I suggest we go inside and you answer some questions.”

The man wasn’t leaving without a fight. Liam weighed his options and decided to at least give Maura a chance to escape. He had to hope she’d run back to him once the detective left. “Fine. Let’s go in.”

“I knew you’d understand and come around.”

Liam spared a quick glance at the trunk then conducted a visual scan of the area. He hung back and followed the detective to the front door. As soon as Spanner stepped onto the front porch, Liam aimed the key chain behind his back and hit the trunk button. Jangled his keys to hide the click, and hoped like hell she was okay in there.

PANIC SCREAMED THROUGH Maura’s nerve endings. The only thing that kept her from banging on the lid and begging for release was the sweet sound of the lock disengaging. She waited for Liam to give her a signal, but he didn’t pop up in front of her.

She slipped her fingers into the open space and peered out. The light at the front of the car cast the back end in shadows. The dark night kept her guessing as to who or what was out there, but she couldn’t sit in the trunk one more minute. The carpet scratched her skin and the tight space had her lungs grasping for air.

Opening the trunk as little as possible, she reached her arm out and balanced her hand on the bumper. Lifting her weight up on her wrists, she slid her stomach over the edge. The rough metal edges poked her skin as she gulped in cool fresh air.

The second her feet hit the driveway she wanted to bolt. Let Liam fight this battle and slink off somewhere. Mentally regroup and develop a new plan. Tempting, but she had to clear the stain on her work. She had to rescue the findings and get them into the hands of people who would announce the discovery and give hope to truly ill people everywhere.

She hadn’t sacrificed her childhood and headed off to college at fifteen, pushed herself so hard while she ignored the social aspects of her life, just to have Dr. Hammer ruin it all with his warped agenda. Whatever it was.

She crouched down behind the back fender of the car and tried to figure out what was happening inside Liam’s house. She could make out figures in the front window but was too far away to hear or see anything. After a quick look around for nosy neighbors, she stayed in her bent-over position and approached the house.

Her concentration on her task broke long enough for her to pick up a mimicking sound. She took a step, and then heard another shoe crunch against the pavement off to her right somewhere. To test her theory, she tried the move again and a thud mirrored hers. Someone was out there. Someone close and quiet. The way her heartbeat pounded in her ears, she guessed the person was dangerous.

Weighing her options, she went with police over death. After a mental count to three, she took off, darting across the front lawn to the gate on the far left side. Getting the detective and Liam to notice her and come out with guns ready was the goal. She made noise, even let the gate slam shut behind her. When she heard it open again a second later, she picked up speed and rounded the back corner of the house, her sneakers sliding in the grass as her harsh breathing burned her throat.

The mad dash took her up on the patio. She body-smacked against the back glass door at a dead run. She fumbled to slide it open. When that didn’t work, she pounded on it with her fist. The loud thunks grabbed the attention of both men inside.