Love at First Sight Part 4

"What is the story on this murder?" Jack asked.

Denny shook his head. "Probably just invited the wrong man to her room. You never answered my question. What's your interest in this and why didn't you show at the hotel?"

"Oh, I was there," Jack told him. "The minute I saw the cop cars, I figured you'd set me up just to mess with Captain Baxter. So I waited for you to go to the men's room to give you a swirlie before I officially began my vacation."

Denny smiled and seemed to relax. "Sorry I missed that. that. Couldn't you just see Baxter's face when I came back to the crime scene dripping wet? Imagine what he'd say when I told him that Jack Adams had done it to me." Couldn't you just see Baxter's face when I came back to the crime scene dripping wet? Imagine what he'd say when I told him that Jack Adams had done it to me."

Unfortunately, Jack could imagine that. He was already on the boss's list as a rebel cop who had stepped out of line one time too often. It was why he was on this...vacation.

"Because of you, I met a woman this morning," Jack said.

His friend laughed. "And you're mad about that?"

"Unfortunately, it turns out she's a witness in your your murder case." murder case."

Denny sat up abruptly. "Why didn't you mention that right away?"

"Because I was hoping to find out why you called me to the Carlton this morning."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry I worried you," he said, actually sounding as though he meant it. "You're a good friend. So, tell me about this woman."

"We're picking her up," Jack said, getting to his feet. He tossed the cost of their coffee and a tip on the table. "I'll fill you in on the way."

When Jack finished telling him about Karen, Denny grinned and shook his head. "She really went after the guy she thought was the killer? She's some gutsy lady. I can't wait to meet her."

Yeah, Jack thought miserably. Karen Sutton was turning out to be Denny's kind of woman.

"Do you have your tape recorder?" Denny asked on the way to Karen's apartment. "I was thinking I'd take her statement some place quiet away from the office."

Jack shot him a look.

Denny grinned, acknowledging that Jack knew him too well. "Baxter's going nuts over this case. I don't really want him to know about this woman you found. Not yet."

Jack wanted to warn his friend about bucking Baxter. Denny should have already learned from Jack's example. But Jack also knew dispensing advice to Denny was like spitting into the wind. "Why would Baxter care so much about this case?"

"Are you kidding?" Denny asked in surprise. "I thought you said your witness knew the murder victim?"

"Liz Jones, right?" Jack had gotten his information from the same bellhop Karen had talked to.

"Liz Jones, now, now," Denny said. "Until the day before yesterday, she was the Mrs. in Dr. and Mrs. Carl Vandermullen."

Jack let out a low whistle. "She was married to him? him?"

"Was is the key word here. Nasty divorce. She'd been living in their place in Columbia Falls-he'd returned to Missoula to the house they own here up Rattlesnake Canyon." is the key word here. Nasty divorce. She'd been living in their place in Columbia Falls-he'd returned to Missoula to the house they own here up Rattlesnake Canyon."

"So, what was she doing in Missoula?" Jack asked.

Denny shrugged and looked away. "I guess just finalizing her divorce." Was it Jack's imagination that his friend seemed to avoid his gaze? "Baxter wants us to tread softly. He doesn't want to get on the doctor's bad side by seeing headlines like High-Profile Doctor Suspected in Wife's Murder. It's hard on a man's political career. And you know Baxter."

Unfortunately, Jack did. Brad Baxter had much higher aspirations than police captain.

As Jack pulled up in front of Karen's apartment, he saw Denny frowning to himself. Why did Jack have the feeling that there was a lot more to this case than his friend was telling him?

Jack felt a surge of happiness when the door opened and he saw Karen looking freshly scrubbed and smelling wonderful as if she'd just come from the shower. She couldn't have looked more like his Girl Next Door. Except, call him old-fas.h.i.+oned, but his idea of the Girl Next Door didn't include chasing killers.

As Karen looked past him to Denny, Jack saw the flash of interest in her gaze. He'd seen it a million times before. Denny just did that to women and one look was usually all it took for Denny to have a conquest. Annoying as it was, it was something Jack had gotten used to over the years. But it had never made him feel such a pang of jealousy before.

WHEN K KAREN HAD PEEKED through the peephole, she'd felt a surge of joy just at the sight of Jack's boyish face. through the peephole, she'd felt a surge of joy just at the sight of Jack's boyish face.

"That's it?" he asked in surprise when he saw only the one small bag beside the door.

"I travel light," she told him, handing him the tape from her answering machine. That's when she'd noticed the man with Jack.

"Karen Sutton," Jack said by way of introduction as he pocketed the tape. "Detective Dennis Kirkpatrick."

Detective Kirkpatrick had cla.s.sic good looks and the moment Karen saw him, she knew she'd seen that face before somewhere.

"Everyone just calls me Denny," the dark-haired man said smoothly, flas.h.i.+ng her a snake-oil-salesman of a smile as he held out his hand.

His dark eyes shone with faint amus.e.m.e.nt-and definite interest as he gazed deep into hers. She'd never liked his type. Too smooth, too charming, too much. But she couldn't be sure about this new Karen. She'd showered and changed and didn't feel half-naked anymore, but she also didn't feel quite herself, either. This new braver, more impetuous Karen scared her.

That's why she wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be as she let Denny envelop her hand in his larger one and was relieved when she felt nothing. Zip. Not even a little flutter. Nothing that is, other than frustration at not being able to place where she'd seen him before. She liked this new Karen better all the time.

"You look familiar," she said, taking her hand back.

Denny grinned, looking pleased, obviously taking it as a compliment as they walked to her car. "Got that kind of face, I guess."

No, actually, few men had such a cla.s.sically handsome face and she was sure he knew it. She shook her head. "No, I know you from somewhere. You look very familiar."

His grin faded a little. He shot a look at Jack.

Jack put her bag in her car and looked over at her, his expression dark as if he suspected it was some kind of pickup line.

Right. She told herself Jack would be singing a different tune when she remembered where she'd seen Denny before. "Don't worry. It will come to me," she a.s.sured both detectives. "I'm good with faces. I always remember." Eventually.

JACK DROVE K KAREN to Denny's favorite bar in her Honda, while Denny took the Jeep and a different route. Jack picked up the tail a couple of blocks from Karen's apartment. With relief, he didn't notice anyone else following them. to Denny's favorite bar in her Honda, while Denny took the Jeep and a different route. Jack picked up the tail a couple of blocks from Karen's apartment. With relief, he didn't notice anyone else following them.

Denny led them through the back entrance and down a set of stairs to a small conference room in the bas.e.m.e.nt. Jack took a seat across the table from Karen, wondering what he was still doing here. Denny could definitely handle it from here on out. In fact, the best thing Jack could do, careerwise, was to clear out now.

"Interesting place to interrogate witnesses," Karen noted.

"It's a safe place." Denny set the tape recorder on the table but didn't turn it on. "And right now the fewer people who know about you the better."

She nodded. "I understand the situation I'm in. The killer must be worried about me or he wouldn't have called my number from the murder scene."

Smart woman, Jack thought.

"How did he get your number?" Denny asked.

"I figure he either overheard Liz leaving a message on Karen's answering machine or he found the number on the napkin beside the hotel phone or a combination of the two," Jack said.

"You think he's afraid she told me something?" Karen asked.

Who knows what the man was hiding, Jack thought. "Possibly."

"I would imagine he wants to tie up any loose ends," Denny said. "You're a loose end." He reached over and turned on the tape recorder.

Jack sat listening to Karen retell her story, realizing he wasn't going anywhere until he knew she was safe.

When she'd finished, she asked, "What now?"

"You go somewhere safe while the department tries to find the guy," Denny told her.

"For how long?" she asked anxiously.

Denny shook his head.

"What if you don't find him?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter. "I have work. I have responsibilities."

Denny reached over and turned off the tape recorder. "There might be another way."

Jack had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

"What?" Karen asked, sounding interested and making Jack all that more leery.

"You say Liz met this guy through a newspaper personals ad," Denny began. "It's a long shot, but what if you were to put-"

"An ad in the personals," she said, jumping on it. "That's a great idea."

"It's a stupid stupid idea," Jack interrupted but neither of them seemed to be listening. idea," Jack interrupted but neither of them seemed to be listening.

"It would have to be something that he'd recognize, maybe might even be looking for," Denny said. "Such as, 'I saw you at the Hotel Carlton Sat.u.r.day night. You saw me. I know everything. I think we'd better talk, don't you?'"

"Right," Karen agreed. "Bluff."

"Run an ad for a murderer?" Jack demanded, loud enough he got their attention. Just when he thought the woman might have some sense. "Great idea," he said getting to his feet. "Right up there with chasing the killer in your Honda."

"Excuse me, but if you have a better idea, let's hear it," she snapped back.

"Give the police a chance to find him?" Jack suggested.

"I'm not stopping the police from finding him," she said. "I'm just not going to sit around waiting for the killer to find me first. I have to do something. something."

"She's right, Jack."

"Stay out of this, Denny," Jack warned. It might be Denny's case, but he and Jack both knew he had no business suggesting this to Karen. Cops didn't put their witnesses in danger. Not good cops, anyway. What was Denny thinking?

Jack leaned toward her, his palms on the table. "You can't even be sure that the killer is the mystery man or even the man you saw with Liz."

"Then what would it hurt to run the ad?" she said.

Her logic scared him. "But if you're right and he's the killer, then you're talking about threatening a man who has already killed once. Even a woman with your affinity for danger wouldn't seriously consider something that that crazy." crazy."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Wouldn't it make more sense to hide out for a while and give the trained professionals a chance to find him?"

"Crazy?" she demanded. "Crazy is just sitting around waiting for him to come after me. Crazy is waiting on the off chance that the police do do find him. No offense, but it isn't like you two are Canadian Mounties. You don't always get your man. I'm sorry, but I can't hide and wait for him to be captured. That's a luxury I can't afford. I have work that has to be done, people who are depending on me." find him. No offense, but it isn't like you two are Canadian Mounties. You don't always get your man. I'm sorry, but I can't hide and wait for him to be captured. That's a luxury I can't afford. I have work that has to be done, people who are depending on me."

"If you're dead," Jack said with more force than he'd meant to, "they'll have to find someone else to depend on."

She groaned. "It's not that simple. Anyway, I thought you were on vacation?"

"He's actually on probation," Denny interjected.

Thanks a lot, buddy. Jack swore under his breath. Jack swore under his breath.

"Then this really doesn't have anything to do with you," she said to Jack.

He wanted to a.s.sure her he was involved, a lot more involved than she knew or he wanted to admit. But she was right. It wasn't as if he'd be able to help find the killer. Or protect her in any official capacity. Nor did the cops always find the killers and put them behind bars. The worst of it was, there was more than a good chance the killer would come after her. Too good a chance.

"I'm going to put the ad in the paper," she said, her gaze challenging his. "I don't see any other choice. Waiting for him to come after me isn't acceptable."

Jack shook his head in frustration. "Let's say the killer is the same man Liz met through a personal ad," he said reasonably. "He sees the ad, he answers it. Then what?"

"Karen meets with him," Denny said without hesitation. "At some place where we can see him from a distance. She won't ever be in danger. There'll be cops crawling all over the place. It will work, Jack. She'll be safe."

Jack didn't bother to look at Denny. Instead he sought out Karen's gaze, reminding himself that he had no say as to what this woman did, no matter how dangerous it was.

He wasn't sure who he was more angry with. Denny. Or himself. Denny was right. This wasn't his case. Karen Sutton wasn't his concern. Denny was just trying to find a killer. Jack knew Denny would do everything he could to protect Karen. But would it be enough?

He swore under his breath again as he straightened and stepped back. "The killer isn't going to show. What kind of fool would answer your ad, let alone agree to meet you somewhere?"

"He'll show," Denny said with conviction. "She's the only person who can place him at the murder scene and he knows it."

"Dammit, Denny, she might not be able to identify him," Jack snapped.

"But he doesn't know that, does he?"

"Denny's right," Karen spoke up. "The man will have to call my bluff because he has too much to lose not to."