Finally, he responded. Mick?
Romana stepped in front of the camera. No, its me. I cant find Fitz. We were supposed to go shopping after she finished work, but she didnt show. She always shows, Jacob, or calls to say why she cant. Its one of her best qualities. She never leaves me hanging.
He said nothing, and she was just cranky enough to consider smashing the monitor.
Ive had a bad day, Knight, she warned. Please dont choose tonight to go all moody and withdrawn on me.
Five seconds passed, then ten. Romana zeroed in on the stairwell door. She was yanking on the handle when the elevator opened and Jacob emerged.
He strode right over to her, took her by the arms, jerked her up on her toes and kissed her. At least it resembled a kiss. In some ways, it felt more like an assault on her senses, but there was heat behind it and under that a measure of desperation that confused and unnerved her.
What? She dragged her mouth free. Did something else happen?
Phone call. Trapping her chin between his fingers and thumb, he examined her face.
Uh, Jacob. Closing her fingers around his wrist, Romana gave a subtle tug. I wasnt outside long enough to get frostbite if thats whats worrying you.
Then she remembered what hed said, and her heart jittered. Did you hear from Fitz?
I heard from Critch. Setting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes. He wanted me to think you might be dead, that he might have killed you. OKeefe and I have half the Cincinnati force out searching for you. I checked the alley where you nailed Critch myself.
Then she remembered what hed said, and her heart jittered. Did you hear from Fitz?
I heard from Critch. Setting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes. He wanted me to think you might be dead, that he might have killed you. OKeefe and I have half the Cincinnati force out searching for you. I checked the alley where you nailed Critch myself.
Half the force? It was difficult to think past that, more difficult still to keep from wrapping herself around him. You could have tried my cell phone. Its always on.
Is it always charged?
Your point. Then, recalling her reasons for being there, she snagged the sides of his jacket. Jacob, I cant find Fitz. She shook him so hard his hair brushed her cheek. I have to find her.
Well find her. Jacob ran reassuring hands along her arms. If Critch has her, well get her back.
Romanas heart beat so fast it made her feel lightheaded. Hell hurt her, I know he will. If he hurt your neighbor, hell hurt Fitz.
Unless he doesnt have her. Romana, she might have gone out with someone, spent the night with him.
Romana had already considered the possibility. I couldnt get hold of Patrick, she allowed. And Fitz does have a thing for him.
What about Barret?
Ah, well. She dropped her hands, fingers spread. Different story there. Shera insists that James flew to Cleveland this morning. My sources at the airlines claim hes not on any of their flight lists, so either he was traveling incognito or
He didnt go to Cleveland.
She forced herself to relax, had to or shed lose her ability to think. The scuttlebutt at Barret Brown is that he has a mistress.
Is this scuttlebutt reliable or the usual half-baked bull?
She seesawed her hand. It came from my Uncle Dan- Fitzs dad. He wasnt overly clear, and I couldnt push without frightening him, which I dont want to do at this point.
Jacob regarded her for a long moment, then shocked her with a kiss that sizzled her blood and zapped almost every thought from her head.
Lets go. Turning her by the shoulders, he propelled her toward the door.
She fingered her still-tingling lips, had to give her mind a shake. Where?
Where Im assuming your cousin should have been today but wasnt.
Jacob, stop pushing. I went by the hospital earlier. She didnt come in for work this morning. Panic clawed at her insides. She refused to let it win, but swung around. If Critch has her, what can we do? We cant even find him.
With his hands still on her shoulders, he stared into her eyes. Well do what we have to do, and we will get her back.
And you know that because
If Critch took your cousin, Romana, he did it for a reason. I think hed be more than willing to return her in exchange for the person he really wants. Me.
NO MATTER HOW HARD SHE FOUGHT, Fitz couldnt stop her teeth from chattering.
What would happen to her? She wanted to ask, but really didnt want to know.
What an idiot shed been. She had no experience in these matters and no business launching her own half-baked investigation. True, shed stumbled in unknowing, but she should have taken her suspicions straight to her cousin. Shed be home right now, safe, warm and wrapping Christmas presents rather than scared, frostbitten and shaking in a damp cellar.
She shrank against the wall as footsteps approached. When the door creaked open, she avoided the beam of light that illuminated the person outside.
Not the brightest bulb in the package, are you, Anna Fitzgerald? She registered annoyance and amusement in equal proportions. Youve given me a problem, and I thought, Id hoped, I was done with those long ago.
You killed Belinda. The statement fell from her mouth unbidden. It made her jailor laugh and her insides coil into greasy knots.
Well, now, that is a brilliant deduction. Maybe you should have been the cop instead of Romana. Except she isnt a cop anymore, is she? And her attention these days, when not fixated on Jacob Knight, is pretty much centered on finding Warren Critch. But what about the person who murdered his wife? Why isnt she focused on that task as well? Makes you wonder, doesnt it, if your cousin might not be a little unsure about her not-so-white Detective Knight. Oh, dear, no, mustnt think like that. Locate Critch, apprehend him, then worry about that other niggle. Or let it go. Stick Critch back in prison, and we all return to square one. Weve been there for six years with no more harm done. Maybe thats where we should stay.
I never thought it was you Fitz began, but her voice died away when a finger reached out to tap her chin.
I realize that now. But when I saw you attempting to play detective, I thought you had it all worked out. What could I do but react as if you had? End result? Here we are, you and me, in a place where Im very much afraid no one will ever think to look for you.
Tears burned Fitzs eyes. Her wrists and feet were bound. She couldnt even try to escape.
Please dont she began.
The eyes in front of her rolled. Oh, God, spare me the spiel. Dont hurt me. I wont talk. Secret to the grave. The lines are old and tired. And youre forgetting one vital detail. The face she didnt want to see at close range dipped to her level and smiled. Im a murderer. Did it once, wont have a problem doing it again. But just so you know, I dont make a habit of this. Now Critch, hes hungry for the kill. Whereas I only killed because I had to. Sort of. The eyes in that face clouded slightly. Had to. Wanted to So long ago in some ways, yesterday in others.
To Fitzs horror, the mouth began to twist. She didnt need Romana to tell her that was bad.
I dont blame you for wanting her gone, she managed to whisper. I mean, she deserved to die, right?
In spades, Anna Fitzgerald. You dont treat people the way she did and simply walk away. Have I told you the Belinda Critch story as it relates to me?
What would Romana do? a frantic Fitz wondered. She swallowed her tears, shot for a tremulous smile. You havent, no, she replied. But Id like to know.
The eyes watching her narrowed. Maybe I wouldnt mind telling someone about it at that. Its not like youll be going anywhere with the news. Do you like chili?
Another nod.
Her jailors head cocked. Can you cook it?
Any way you want it.
Chili and a story. The thought appeared to sit well. I could handle that. But you do realize youre going to die.
I know. Fear flopped like a fish in Fitzs stomach, but this was the way, the only way. Her only chance. One last meal, she said. I mean, if it has to be the last, it should be good, right?
Oh, itll be good. The finger that had been on her chin snaked out to stab the ribs above her heart. Then itll be over. A hideous smile formed. Isnt life a bitch?
FITZS ATTIC APARTMENT was compact, colorful and bursting with character-just like her.
Romana ducked under a trio of red hanging balls and peered into the tiny bathroom.
Her hair dryers not on the counter, she called back to Jacob. Neithers her favorite coffee mug. She wasnt here this morning.
Wouldnt her father have noticed that?
I dont imagine he noticed anyone or anything until at least noon. Romana recalled her uncles red whiskey eyes and the breath hed attempted to disguise with cinnamon mouthwash. Anyway, Fitz leaves for work two hours before he does on Thursdays.
I dont imagine he noticed anyone or anything until at least noon. Romana recalled her uncles red whiskey eyes and the breath hed attempted to disguise with cinnamon mouthwash. Anyway, Fitz leaves for work two hours before he does on Thursdays.
She returned to the living area, pivoted on her heel and wished just once that a clue would jump out at her.
No tree yet, she noted while Jacob poked through the kitchenette. She wants a live one, but theres not much room up here.
Did you check her messages?
Romana tossed her coat on the sofa. Her supervisor called twice. Im numbers three, four and five, and my brother Noah wants to know if she thinks Id like a gift card or a Hermes handbag for Christmas.
Jacob smiled as he opened a cupboard. Id go with the handbag.
Cigars yours, Detective. On her third scan of the room, Romana spied a jar of silver polish and a blackened cloth. Whats that?
He opened another cupboard. Let me guess. You dont polish your Christmas silverware?
I dont have Christmas silverware. Neither does Fitz. But her cousin did have a black metal box with a combination lock sitting on the shelf above the desk. Interesting.
She glanced at Jacob. You any good at cracking safes, Detective?
Ive done a B and E or two in my time.
He was a man of mystery on both sides of the law.
Jobs yours. Because she wanted to rock him as hed rocked her earlier, Romana strode into the kitchen and gave him a hard, smacking kiss. You open Pandoras box. Ill try James and Patrick again.