are good that your demise was reported on the eleven o’clock news. I need to call the morgue and let the M.E. know we have a Jane Doe.” He walked toward the door, but stopped in front of Carlotta. “Are you going to be okay?”
She nodded. “But Wesley…”
“I doubt if Wesley got very far. I’ll see if I can find him and have a word. He was pretty shaken up.” He gave her a wry smile. “I guess we all were.”
She was struck by the concern in his gentle eyes, glad that he’d been with Wesley during the ordeal.
“Thank you, Coop. Whatever I can do to help you find out who the woman is, just let me know.”
“I will.”
He left and Jack Terry stepped forward. “I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Can’t it wait?” Peter asked, still hovering.
“No. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Carlotta in private.”
Peter’s mouth tightened. “As a matter of fact, I do mind.”
Jack took one step closer to Carlotta, but leveled his gaze on Peter. “That might have sounded like a request, Ashford, but it wasn’t. This is a criminal investigation now.”
Carlotta looked back and forth, feeling the testosterone boomeranging between the two men.
“Uh, guys, I’m still in the room.”
They both looked down at her, challenging her to choose one and send the other one walking. Jack’s black eyes flashed with authority, Peter’s blue ones were filled with possessiveness.
“Peter,” she said, standing and turning toward him. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
He clasped her hands. “Promise? We have a lot to talk about.”
Carlotta knew what he was referring to, but from the noise that Jack made in his throat, it was clear he thought Peter was referring to something more personal.
“Yes,” she murmured. “Thank you for coming over.”
He leaned forward and planted a kiss near her ear. “I love you,” he whispered, then pulled back, threw Jack Terry a parting glare and left.
Carlotta turned around to face Jack Terry who looked at her intently in the expanding silence. “You gave everyone quite a scare.”
“I didn’t mean to, Detective.”
He lifted his hand and almost touched her arm before stopping and gesturing to the couch. “Why don’t you sit?”
She rubbed her scratchy eyes and sighed. “Do you mind if I get something to drink?”
“No offense, but it looks like you’ve already had plenty to drink.” He sniffed. “And to smoke. Do I smell a cigar?”
She lifted her chin. “Yes. And I was talking about coffee. ”
“Wouldn’t mind a cup myself,” he said, jamming his hand into his hair. “It’s been one hell of a night.”
She pointed. “The kitchen is that way. I’m sure your coffee is better than mine, and I need to find my brother.”
Jack relented with a nod. “Don’t disappear again, okay?”
The tone of his voice stopped her. Embedded in the sarcastic remark was a seed of concern that sounded almost personal. Before she could respond, he disappeared into the kitchen. Carlotta frowned after him, then pushed open the front door and stepped out into the circle of light shining on the stoop, in search of yet another man in her life who confounded her.
Coop’s van was gone and for a moment she wondered if perhaps Wesley had gone with him, then she noticed a movement under the weeping willow tree near the sidewalk. Wesley’s thinking place. When he and the tree were small, he would hide beneath its drooping limbs that had reached to the ground. Later, when their parents had disappeared and the tree had lifted its canopy, he had taken to climbing its sturdy branches and staying there with a book for hours at a time. Once he’d climbed so high, she’d had to call the fire department to bring a cherry picker to get him down. When she’d chastised him, he’d said he’d thought if only he could get high enough, he would eventually see their parents coming back.
Now he sat with his back against the tree, absently stripping the long narrow
She nodded. “But Wesley…”
“I doubt if Wesley got very far. I’ll see if I can find him and have a word. He was pretty shaken up.” He gave her a wry smile. “I guess we all were.”
She was struck by the concern in his gentle eyes, glad that he’d been with Wesley during the ordeal.
“Thank you, Coop. Whatever I can do to help you find out who the woman is, just let me know.”
“I will.”
He left and Jack Terry stepped forward. “I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Can’t it wait?” Peter asked, still hovering.
“No. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Carlotta in private.”
Peter’s mouth tightened. “As a matter of fact, I do mind.”
Jack took one step closer to Carlotta, but leveled his gaze on Peter. “That might have sounded like a request, Ashford, but it wasn’t. This is a criminal investigation now.”
Carlotta looked back and forth, feeling the testosterone boomeranging between the two men.
“Uh, guys, I’m still in the room.”
They both looked down at her, challenging her to choose one and send the other one walking. Jack’s black eyes flashed with authority, Peter’s blue ones were filled with possessiveness.
“Peter,” she said, standing and turning toward him. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
He clasped her hands. “Promise? We have a lot to talk about.”
Carlotta knew what he was referring to, but from the noise that Jack made in his throat, it was clear he thought Peter was referring to something more personal.
“Yes,” she murmured. “Thank you for coming over.”
He leaned forward and planted a kiss near her ear. “I love you,” he whispered, then pulled back, threw Jack Terry a parting glare and left.
Carlotta turned around to face Jack Terry who looked at her intently in the expanding silence. “You gave everyone quite a scare.”
“I didn’t mean to, Detective.”
He lifted his hand and almost touched her arm before stopping and gesturing to the couch. “Why don’t you sit?”
She rubbed her scratchy eyes and sighed. “Do you mind if I get something to drink?”
“No offense, but it looks like you’ve already had plenty to drink.” He sniffed. “And to smoke. Do I smell a cigar?”
She lifted her chin. “Yes. And I was talking about coffee. ”
“Wouldn’t mind a cup myself,” he said, jamming his hand into his hair. “It’s been one hell of a night.”
She pointed. “The kitchen is that way. I’m sure your coffee is better than mine, and I need to find my brother.”
Jack relented with a nod. “Don’t disappear again, okay?”
The tone of his voice stopped her. Embedded in the sarcastic remark was a seed of concern that sounded almost personal. Before she could respond, he disappeared into the kitchen. Carlotta frowned after him, then pushed open the front door and stepped out into the circle of light shining on the stoop, in search of yet another man in her life who confounded her.
Coop’s van was gone and for a moment she wondered if perhaps Wesley had gone with him, then she noticed a movement under the weeping willow tree near the sidewalk. Wesley’s thinking place. When he and the tree were small, he would hide beneath its drooping limbs that had reached to the ground. Later, when their parents had disappeared and the tree had lifted its canopy, he had taken to climbing its sturdy branches and staying there with a book for hours at a time. Once he’d climbed so high, she’d had to call the fire department to bring a cherry picker to get him down. When she’d chastised him, he’d said he’d thought if only he could get high enough, he would eventually see their parents coming back.
Now he sat with his back against the tree, absently stripping the long narrow
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