Against The Night Part 16

Babs smiled knowingly. "He'll be back. No way is one night going to be enough for a guy like that."

Amy made no reply. She had no idea what John Riggs was thinking. She wasn't that experienced in bed. Maybe she just didn't do it for him.

"Listen, I've got to run," she told Babs. "I've got some things to do before my s.h.i.+ft starts." She worked from six until two tonight and it was already after noon.

"You need my car?"

"I appreciate the offer but I've decided to rent one for a couple of days. I printed a coupon off the internet so it isn't that expensive, and I can go wherever I need."

Babs shrugged. "Whatever you think."

"I'll see you later." Amy headed out the door then down the block to the National Car Rental place she had occasionally pa.s.sed on her way to lunch.

Twenty minutes later, she drove out in a little white subcompact that got more than thirty miles to the gallon, and headed for Culver City.

Earlier, she had called Mrs. Zimmer and the woman had been delighted that Angel was coming over again to see little Jimmy. As Amy stood on the porch and knocked on the door, she heard small feet pounding across the carpet.

Jimmy pulled open the door. "h.e.l.lo."

"Hi, sweetie." She went down to his eye level, an arm behind her back, hiding his surprise. "Guess what I brought you?"

The little boy's eyes widened. "A present?"

"That's right." She handed him the box. "It's a puzzle. I thought maybe you'd let me help you put it together."

Jimmy studied the box. The picture on the front showed cartoon animals in a jungle setting. Jimmy looked excited and at the same time uncertain.

"Here, let me show you." Amy took the box from his small hands and pulled off the wrapper. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mrs. Zimmer standing a few feet away, a big smile on her face. "Can we use the coffee table?" Amy asked her.

"Sure. Would you like a cup of tea while you're putting the puzzle together?"

"I'd love one."

Mrs. Zimmer disappeared into the kitchen and Jimmy knelt on the carpet next to her as she dumped the puzzle pieces out on top of the table.

"All we have to do is put the puzzle together and we'll be able to see the picture." Jimmy watched as Amy stuck a couple of puzzle pieces together. "See how it works?"

She could feel his excitement as he found a piece that locked into another piece. "Look! I did it!"

"Yes, you did." She had chosen a puzzle that fit Jimmy's age so it didn't take him long to see how putting the pieces together worked. Mrs. Zimmer set a steaming mug of tea next to her and she took a warming sip.

"Chamomile... It's wonderful. Thank you."

The older woman smiled. "Thank you for coming. Jimmy's really been looking forward to your visit."

"So have I," Amy said, which was true. She loved kids, always had. It was the reason she had decided to become a teacher. She returned her attention to the puzzle. It didn't take long to put the picture together. Jimmy looked so proud of himself when they finished that Amy reached over and hugged him.

"That was really fun, Miss...Fountain. Can we do it again?"

Fountain? Amy bit back a smile. "Why don't you just call me...Angel? And yes, we can do it again."

They played with the puzzle for an hour. Putting it together, taking it apart then rebuilding it. She made a mental note to buy him some Lincoln Logs. She used to love playing with them when she was a kid.

Then it was time to leave. While Amy was saying her farewells to Mrs. Zimmer, Jimmy raced back to his bedroom.

"I've really got to go," Amy said, checking her watch.

"Jimmy! Come say goodbye to Angel."

A couple more minutes pa.s.sed.

"Jimmy!"

The little boy raced out of the bedroom, waving a piece of yellow drawing paper in his hand. "I made a present for you."

Amy took the paper and unfolded it. There was a stick drawing of a woman holding a little boy's hand. Both of them were smiling. It was signed with a row of x's and an oddly printed version of his name.

"Those are kisses," Mrs. Zimmer explained. "His mother taught him that and how to print his name."

So Bee wasn't as immune to her son as she wanted people to believe. Interesting.

Amy leaned down and hugged the boy. "Thank you, sweetie. Have fun with the puzzle."

Jimmy looked up at her, his expression somber. "Are you coming back?"

Amy smiled. "Of course I am. We're friends, aren't we?"

Jimmy grinned and wildly nodded.

"All right then." Feeling a lump in her throat, Amy hugged him one last time then waved to Mrs. Zimmer and headed for the door.

Johnnie's cell phone rang. He recognized the caller ID as belonging to Dev Raines.

"What's up, Dare?"

"Chaz came up with the info we needed to narrow down the search. We've set a time for the meet if it works for you. Tomorrow night at Lark's condo." The place they stayed when Dev's wife was working in L.A.

"I'll be there with bells on."

"Since Lark's here with me, Clive's bringing Molly. I figured the ladies could talk while we make some plans. You can bring someone if you want."

Did he want to bring Amy? It would be like taking a woman to meet his family. He shouldn't do it, he knew, and yet he wanted to. He blew out a breath. h.e.l.l, it was just a group of friends. It didn't mean anything.

"Yeah, all right."

"All right? That means you're bringing a date?"

"If she can get off work."

A long pause on the phone. "Great, we'll see you tomorrow night." He needed to call Amy. He didn't know her schedule. Maybe she'd have to work. h.e.l.l, maybe she wouldn't want to go.

He brought up her cell number and pressed the b.u.t.ton. "Hey, baby, it's me."

"Johnnie?"

"Yeah."

"I'm in the car. Let me pull over." She came back on the line a few seconds later. "Hi."

The warmth in her voice made his chest feel tight.

"I'm glad you called," she said. "I talked to Peter Brand last night and guess what he told me?"

"What'd he tell you?" He didn't like her playing detective-especially when it involved some hotshot real estate broker. He'd been down that road once before.

"He said he and Rachael never dated. He said they worked together to raise money for the Dennison Children's Shelter. I'm headed there now."

The name rang a bell. He remembered seeing it in the police file, but since Brand's alibi checked out, he hadn't pursued it. Maybe it was time. "What's the address?"

She gave him a number on Franklin.

"All right, I'll meet you there." He ended the call before she could argue. This case was getting more and more interesting. A kindergarten teacher/exotic dancer searching for an exotic dancer/social worker. He told himself the case was the reason he was meeting Amy, that he was just doing the job he'd volunteered for.

He stepped on the gas pedal, weaving the car in and out of traffic, driving a little faster than he should have been.

It was just the job, he told himself.

And knew it was a big-a.s.s lie.

Amy pulled back into traffic, heading her little rented subcompact toward the address for the Dennison Children's Shelter she had written on a c.o.c.ktail napkin last night.

Her heart was pounding, reminding her that Johnnie would be meeting her there. She told herself he was just following the lead she had picked up last night. That his meeting her there didn't mean anything. She needed to stay focused on finding Rachael and let the man do his job.

It didn't take too long to reach the shelter, which was in an actual house, she saw as she pulled up in front of the two-story, Spanish-style building with a red tile roof, the walls painted a soft shade of pink. The yard was neatly trimmed and there was a big leafy tree in front that shaded the porch.

As she headed up the walk, she heard children's laughter coming from inside. She had almost reached the front steps when the screen door opened and a man walked out. Dressed in an expensive navy blue suit, he was extremely handsome. Johnnie's detective friend, Rick Vega.

"Detective Vega," she exclaimed, halting him directly in front of her. Clearly his mind had been on something else and for an instant, he didn't know who she was.

"Amy Brewer," she reminded him. "Rachael's sister."

"Yes, of course. h.e.l.lo, Amy." He flicked a glance toward the house. "What are you doing here?"

"Last night I spoke to a friend of Rachael's...a real estate agent named Peter Brand. Peter told me she volunteered here at the shelter."

"Yes, so I discovered."

"So you talked to them here? I a.s.sumed the police would have spoken to them already."

Vega made no comment, and she realized he was thinking the same thing, but being a policeman himself, couldn't afford to agree.

"Did you find out anything?" Amy pressed.

"I talked to one of the counselors. Apparently Rachael came here often. Looks like whenever she wasn't working or trying to get an acting job, she was here. The kids adored her."

Amy felt a pang in her heart.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her coming up the walk. Amy turned to see Johnnie striding toward her and her stomach floated up beneath her ribs.

His gaze skimmed over her, went to the detective. "You here about Rachael? I didn't think you were working that case."

"I'm not. I just ran across a connection between her and the shelter and thought I'd follow up."

"I really appreciate what you're doing," Amy said to him.

Vega just nodded. "I've got to go. Good luck in there. Maybe you'll get something I missed." Vega strode off down the walkway, and Johnnie turned to Amy.

He didn't say a word, just slid his hands into her hair, cupped the back of her head, bent and very thoroughly kissed her. She was trembling, her lips tingling, when Johnnie let her go.

He tipped his head toward the house. "We're here," he said a little gruffly. "We might as well go in."

The door stood open to let in the warm June air. Just a screen blocked the entrance. Johnnie rapped on the door frame and a young woman with short blond hair appeared on the opposite side of the screen.

"h.e.l.lo. May I help you?"

"My name is...Amy Brewer. Rachael Brewer was my sister." Rachael wasn't Silky here at the shelter so Amy didn't need to be Angel. "Peter Brand told me she volunteered here on occasion."

"Why, yes, she did."

"I'm John Riggs. I'm a private investigator. I'm helping Amy locate her sister."

"Please come in." She opened the screen door and stepped back out of the way. Amy walked in ahead of Johnnie into the foyer. In the living room off to one side, a group of children of various ages huddled around the coffee table playing a game of Candy Land. Amy smiled. She and Rachael used to play that game as kids.

"My name is Eileen Caulfield," the woman said. She was wearing jeans and a Dennison Shelter T-s.h.i.+rt that read Where There's Love There's Hope. "I liked Rachael very much. We all did. Why don't we go someplace we can talk?"

Eileen led them into the dining room and indicated they should sit down at a long oak table that seated at least twelve people.

"Detective Vega was just here," Eileen explained. "He spoke to Melinda Richards-she's the director of the shelter. I'm afraid she's gone to lunch but maybe I can help."

"Thank you," Amy said.

"Peter told us Rachael was missing. We're all praying for her."

Amy's heart squeezed.

"When was the last time Rachael was here?" Johnnie asked.

"Just before the first of May. She couldn't stay long. She said she had some errands to run. I thought maybe she was trying out for a part or something. She wanted so much to be an actress."