Baker’s Law (13 page)

“I was, got called in for a little while.”

“Before that?” She leaned forward. “You smell like cigarette smoke, and…” She sniffed
again. “Flowers.” She leaned back and scrunched up her faced.

“I was at the Blue Spur.” He squirmed under his sister’s scrutiny.

She didn’t let up, though, as she asked, “Did you fall into one of the flower pots
outside?”

When he didn’t answer she pushed away from him. “You were with a girl?”

Jax stood. “A girl. What am I, twelve?”

“Sor-ry. A woman. Who is she? Do I know her?”

Of course, you know her,
he wanted to say.
You were just bemoaning the fact that you cost her a job.
“It’s no one. Nothing.” He’d like it to be something, but it was early on in the
getting-to-know-you phase. Definitely nothing he wanted to share with his baby sister.

“I can tell when you’re holding out. But I won’t press you. Right now.” She stood
and wiped her hands over her face. “I love you.” She tugged him into a hug. “Thanks
for letting me vent.” Her muffled voice sounded stronger as she gave him one last
squeeze. She backed away and eyed the dog in the corner.

Solider picked up his head from his paws. Jax gave him a staying command with one
hand and the dog didn’t so much as flinch—stayed rigid and on guard. “Anytime you
need me. And try not to let Mother get to you,” he said as he opened the front door.

At her car door, she paused. “Will I see you for brunch tomorrow at the club?”

Jax ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

Once he’d walked her to her car and watched her drive off—big brother
and
chief of police were far too ingrained not to—he finally went in search of that elusive
beer. With it in hand, he hunkered down on the sofa, propped up his feet and started
rooting through channels on his ancient TV. He patted the sofa beside him and Soldier
jumped up and settled beside him with his head in Jax’s lap.

Jax’s contentment lasted all of five minutes. He was too keyed up to relax, much less
sleep. He started a pot of coffee, picked up the files Macey had retrieved for him
from the records office going over crime in Oak Hollow for the past three years and
set himself up at his kitchen table. He could have looked everything up on the computer
in his office, but the hard copies, with notes and comments by the investigating officers,
often times were more telling.

By his third cup of coffee, a pattern emerged in the old files. Every spring, there
was a rash of break-ins at local businesses. Nothing had been tied together from one
year to the next because of turnovers in locations, as was the case with Marissa’s
shop. Both businesses prior to hers had reported thefts—both in April. Other businesses
had simply closed shop and the building itself remained empty. One small company,
a pet grooming service, had a theft three years earlier—which by all accounts may
have been the first. The owners had pulled up stakes and moved to the far side of
Fort Worth.

Another company, a pawnshop, had been hit a couple of times, two years ago. When they
were hit again in the spring of last year, they too had closed up shop and left an
empty building.

“Why didn’t anyone tie these together?” Jax rubbed the back of his neck. In a town
the size of Oak Hollow, most people knew each other. It was, however, just big enough
you could go unnoticed if you tried hard enough. But to miss such a connection?

Jax wracked his brain trying to think what might have gone on that would have kept
the crimes off anyone’s radar. Then he remembered Chief Kendal’s heart attack. The
chief had suffered a minor attack sometime the previous spring, prompting his retirement.
Jax wrote a note to himself to double-check the dates, see if some of the break-ins
corresponded with the chief’s brief medical leave, and stuck it to the top folder.
He shoved everything to the corner of the table to take back into work with him.

Despite the coffee, he yawned. Sleep might finally seep into his overactive mind.
At least that’s what he hoped until Marissa popped into his head again. The woman
could distract him in every way that made a man all but beg for more.

He’d about combusted when she’d told him he could kiss her. Then when he had… He’d
gone from zero to hard with one kiss. One kiss that would not be enough. And like
a damned fool he’d left her standing there.

Jax ran a hand over his face. He wasn’t going to get any sleep anytime soon. He stood,
stretched out his back and legs. Since he was wide-awake he might as well make himself
useful. He snatched up his keys from the table by the door. He’d go drive around the
commerce district, check on the shops.

Soldier stood, stretched himself out too, then walked to the door, where he stood
with his tail thumping.

“Not tonight, old man.” Jax rubbed the dog between his ears.

As if the dog understood, he walked back over to his bed and settled back in.

The streets through town were quiet. Oak Hollow was small enough that people pretty
much turned in at night. There wasn’t much traffic. And those who were out were usually
coming or going to one of the larger neighboring towns. He drove past Joan’s store.
All was as quiet as he’d left it hours before.

He turned up the next street toward Marissa’s. He was driving past the front of her
shop when movement caught his eye. And it wasn’t a women. It was the kid who’d broken
into her place. The one Marissa was now protecting for whatever reason. All the good
feelings from the Blue Spur evaporated in an instant.

He pulled his truck up to the front of the building, walked up to front door, then
tugged on the handle. The boy at least had enough sense to lock himself in.

Jax used his keys and rapped heavily against the glass. After a beat, he did it again.
The teen peeked his head out from the back of the shop.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the boy tensed when he saw Jax, but he came to the door. He
flipped the lock, then opened the door wide enough to talk, but not enough for someone
to pass through, though Jax could easily power it open if he needed to. He had a good
forty pounds on the teen even though they stood eye-to-eye.

“Is there something I can help you with, Chief?” The boy’s deep voice belied his baby
face.

“Hill, right?” When Hill nodded, Jax asked, “What are you doing here so late?”

Hill regarded Jax for a long moment before he finally said, “I believe that’s between
me and my boss. She’ll be here in the morning if you want to take it up with her.”

Before Jax could say anything else, Hill pulled the door shut, then flipped the lock
back into place. He didn’t turn back for even the barest glimpse as he walked past
the cupcake case to the back of the shop.

Jax shook his head and walked back to his cruiser. The drowsiness that had eluded
him earlier set in as he climbed into the SUV. Marissa wouldn’t tell him anything.
He’d already tried that avenue and she’d closed up on him. Even after their brief
interlude out behind the Blue Spur, he didn’t think she’d let him in on what was going
on. All the more reason to keep things professional despite the fact that he ached
to touch her again.

Luckily, it wasn’t something he had to figure out at midnight. He did one more circuit
of downtown Oak Hollow then headed back to his house. After he let Soldier do his
business outside, Jax fell facedown onto his bed fully dressed as fatigue finally
set in.

The next thing he knew, the phone on the nightstand jangled rudely.

“‘Lo?”

“Hey, big brother. Did I wake you? When was the last time you slept past eight?” Callie
laughed. “Will you please come to brunch at the club? It would mean so much to me.”

Jax rolled onto his back and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Morning already?” He’d
just laid down, hadn’t he? If it weren’t for the sun streaming through his window,
he might think his sister was lying to him.

“Pretty please.”

“Fine.” Jax sighed, then glanced at his clock. “I can be there in an hour. How’s that?’

“Perfect, thank you.” His sister squealed. He could almost hear Callie jumping up
and down. “See you then.”

Jax rolled out of bed and got right in the shower. As he was toweling off, he called
in to the station to check on any overnight emergencies—of which there were thankfully
none. A little less than an hour after his sister woke him, he strolled into the Oak
Hollow Country Club to have brunch with his family.

Once again, Callie squealed like she’d done when she was little. She jumped up from
her seat and ran over and hugged Jax around the neck. “Thank you for coming.”

He shifted his gaze to his mother and stepfather. The pair fidgeted uncomfortably
at his sister’s open display of emotion. It wasn’t something his family was comfortable
sharing in private much less in a room full of their contemporaries. And for the first
time in his life, Jax didn’t care what his mother thought. He gave Callie a quick
hug in return and released her. He walked around the linen-topped table to his mother’s
side and bent to give her a barely perceptible kiss on the cheek. “Morning, Mother.”
His mother tensed slightly and a hint of red tinted her pale cheeks.

Jax shook hands with Casper. “Sir.” The older man gave him a quick nod but didn’t
bother to lift his girth up from the table.

As Jax eased into a chair, he noticed for the first time the Carlisles weren’t the
only ones at their table. Wes Johnson, his soon to be brother-in-law, was across from
him, his ever-present cell phone pressed to his ear. He acknowledged Jax with a jerk
of his head as he continued his conversation. Next to him sat Marlie, typing away
feverishly on her cell.

His mind shifted to her twin. How stupid had he been to kiss Marissa then just leave
her standing there? It was hard to feel too bad, though, over something that had fulfilled
many a recent fantasy.

When Marlie glanced up and caught him watching her, she turned a rosy shade of pink
and dropped her hands to her lap.

“Jax, er, Chief.” Her mouth wavered in a polite smile that didn’t quite fully form.

Before he could so much as say
boo,
she excused herself from the table.

“What did you say to her?” Callie smacked him slightly on the shoulder.

Jax shook his head. “Not a single word.” He leaned closer to his sister. “How have
you handled Mother this morning?”

Callie winced. “I’ve avoided
handling
her for the most part. I invited Marlie so we could go over a few last minute details.
Mother has been too preoccupied with…” she mumbled the rest as she sank into the cushioned
chair.

“Beg your pardon.”

Callie sighed and sat straighter. “I told Mother that you were coming to brunch so
she’s been waiting for you to show up.”

Jax chuckled. “I’m glad I could help out.”

The waitress brought over his mother’s customary mimosa and a Bloody Mary for Casper.
She turned to Callie and handed her a cup of tea, then turned her attention to Jax.
“What can I get you, sir?”

“I’ll have coffee.” He ordered a meal from a menu he knew by heart. Some things never
changed. “Thanks.”

Marlie came back to the table and Callie moved to sit by her. The two women bent their
heads together and talked low enough no one else around could hear what they were
saying. And his mother was trying, if the look of strain and impatience on her face
was any clue. She caught his eye and held it for a long moment.

“I suppose you’re pleased with yourself.” A polite and totally fake smile turned up
the corners of her mouth.

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“In a matter of weeks, you’ve managed to become the talk of the town.”

“I thought you wanted the Carlisle name to be on the tips of all the wagging tongues.”

“You will do whatever you can to spite me.”

“Believe it or not, Mother, I don’t really think about what a few gossips have to
say.”

“A few? It’s half the club.” She smiled and gave a little beauty-pageant wave as one
of the long-time club members passed the table.

Jax crossed his arms over his chest. “I haven’t done anything that warrants any extra
attention, so I don’t know what the big deal is.”

Something was happening behind him. He heard Marissa’s voice and twisted in his chair
to look over his shoulder. She was near the entrance, arguing with the hostess. He
couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, but Marissa waved her arms wildly and pointed
to the dining area as she spoke. On one particular wave, she turned and looked around
the room until her gaze landed on Jax.

With a sputtering hostess tagging along after her, Marissa weaved through the crowded
floor until she reached the Carlisle table. A deep flush colored her cheeks and her
eyes narrowed. “You!”

He was too stunned to do much more than sit and stare at her. Unfortunately, he leaned
back a smidge too far and the chair fell backward under his weight. He tried to stop
his fall by grabbing the table, but all he managed to get was the tablecloth. He went
down hard, dragging the cloth—and all the drinks atop it—down on top of him. A hushed
silence fell over the room.

He couldn’t see anything other than the underside of the table and Marissa, who was
standing over him with her hands on her hips. “Don’t you ever come to
my
shop and harass
my
employees again. Do you understand me,
Chief?
”

Marissa bit her lips together and covered her mouth with her hand as laughter threatened
to erupt. She didn’t want to laugh. She was still too pissed. She’d come in to work
that morning to find Hill sitting in the back by the worktable. He’d had his bag packed—the
few measly items he owned. She’d figured he’d given up on their arrangement, but then
he’d told her about Jax’s late-night visit and that he’d assumed she would want him
to go.

And her blood had instantly boiled.