Bayview Heights Trilogy (4 page)

Reluctantly, he walked to the phone. “Yeah?”
he said simply.

“Tonto, my man. How’s it goin’?”

“Just peachy, Zorro. What you want?”

“How come you ain’t in school?”

“How come you call here if you think I was?”
Johnny fell back into street talk whenever he was with these guys.
Sometimes he hated it, but it comforted him today.

“Got a line on Fish,” Zorro said, all
serious.

“Yeah. How?”

“I got my sources. We gonna go lookin’ for
him tonight. Wanna come?”

“I gotta work from three to eleven.”

“Thought you lost that crummy job at the
hospital.”

Johnny tensed. It still hurt. “I got a new
one at the garage.” Changing oil and pumping gas instead of
learning how to save lives. Shit.

“After eleven, then.”

Soft gray eyes appeared before Johnny.
Please, don’t do this
, she’d said the last time he’d gone
to his old neighborhood in the pit of the city to hunt with the
gang.

Then he remembered the freakin’ cop, sitting
stiffly in a chair, looking at the students as if they were
cockroaches, butting in on the only thing that was good in Johnny’s
life.

“I’ll think about it,” he told Zorro.

o0o

“HOW DID IT GO with the cop?” Zoe Caufield
asked from the doorway. Cassie looked up from the student
portfolios she was reading. Zoe was her coworker and best friend,
but they couldn’t be any more different. At thirty-eight, Zoe was
short, petite, dark-haired and dark-eyed, and bought her clothes at
Lord & Taylor. She’d grown up with the proverbial silver spoon
in her mouth and had married a rich doctor. Divorced, she now lived
in a pricey condo on the bay. The only thing she’d ever done out of
sync was to become a science teacher—and work with the At-Risk
kids.

“It went as well as can be expected,” Cassie
answered.

“He’s a doll.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Not you, too. The
girls are driving me nuts. They actually like those suits he wears
and that noose around his neck.”

“Mmm. Me, too.”

“You would.”

“So how are the kids taking to him?”

Cassie sighed. “I got them to keep an open
mind—mostly through bribery and some threats. I agreed to shorten
their research project by four pages if they’d give him a
break.”

Zoe came into the room and perched on the
edge of her desk. “What happened with Johnny?”

Taking in a deep breath, Cassie tried to
quell her fear. “Johnny walked out.”

“What?”

“You know he wasn’t in school yesterday.” Zoe
nodded. “Well, he missed the prep I gave the other kids. It would
have been a push, anyway, getting him to accept Lansing. He doesn’t
relate well to men in general, he hates cops and he already had
that run-in with the good captain Friday night. But I was hoping
he’d cooperate. He wouldn’t.”

“If anyone could have gotten Johnny to work
with Lansing, it would have been you. He worships you.”

“We’re kindred spirits.”

Zoe smiled. “I know. So what happened?”

Briefly, Cassie described Johnny’s reaction.
“I’m going to find him after school, if I can.”

“Too bad he lost his job at Bayview
General.”

“Yeah. He loved it.”

“Thanks to you.”

“Why?”

“Because you flirted shamelessly with the
director to get him in there.”

Cassie shrugged. “Whatever works.”

“Hey, maybe you could use your charms on
Captain Lansing. Get him to give up his stint here.”

“Are you kidding? That guy’s got ice in his
veins. I pity the woman who tries to thaw him.”

Zoe’s exotic eyes took on a dreamy quality.
“I wouldn’t mind trying. Take a good look next time, Smith. He’s
definitely hot.”

After Zoe left, Cassie sat back, thinking
about Mitch Lansing. Hot?

Well, maybe. He did have a great body. And
she’d bet those green eyes could melt a girl just as quickly as
they could freeze her out. For a minute, Cassie wondered what it
would be like to have him touch her. It had been a long time since
she’d fantasized about a man. Though she dated, she hadn’t had a
serious relationship since her marriage broke up six years ago.

I can’t compete with them, Cass. You’re
too absorbed in your job. Those damn kids are more important than
me.

Paul just hadn’t understood. No one outside
of education really did. No one felt the compelling need, the
driving force to make a difference in kids’ lives like Seth Taylor
had made in hers.

You’ve got a savior complex
, Paul
had told her.
I want a real woman in my life
.

She’d been hurt, and disappointed in herself
that she couldn’t give him more. Her self-confidence as a woman had
been shaken. But she’d let Paul leave, and experienced some measure
of relief that she didn’t have to defend her actions anymore.

But she missed the closeness, and the
sex.

A picture of Mitch Lansing came to her again,
and before she could think about him in a sexual way, she banished
the image. Luckily, the kids were coming back from lunch, so she
didn’t have to analyze her reaction.

Two hours later, she swung open the battered
front door of Pepper’s. The owner of the pool hall-turned-diner was
at the counter, wiping up after the last of the regular lunch
crowd. “Ah, my favorite teacher.”

“Hi, Pepper.” She looked at him
expectantly.

“He’s in the back,” the old man told her.
“Been here since eleven.”

“Thanks.”

Cassie found Johnny slouched in the corner,
pool cue in his hand, feet stretched out, eyes closed. The picture
he created tugged at her heart. He looked so
alone
. She
crossed the room to him. “What are you doing sleeping in a pool
hall like some bum?” she asked lightly.

He opened one eye. “I am a bum.”

Serious now, she said, “No, Johnny, you’re
not.”

“Better watch it, Teach, the school district
ain’t gonna like you in here with us riffraff.”

She plunked down beside him. “I got
tenure.”

He snorted.

“You been winning?”

“Some.”

Silence. She watched the game in progress,
scrambling to find some way to reach the boy. Finally, she called
to the players, “I’ve got winners.”

Johnny straightened abruptly. “Cassie...this
isn’t a good idea. You shouldn’t be rubbing elbows with these
guys.”

“I want to play,” she said implacably.

His brown eyes lit on her. “All right, spit
it out.”

“Play me. If I win, you come back to school
and try to accept Lansing. If I lose, I’ll leave you alone.”

Pure panic flitted across the boy’s face.
Cassie recognized the emotion. As a kid, she’d relentlessly pushed
everyone to give up on her, and when she thought they might, she
panicked.

“You’re on,” Johnny finally said. “But don’t
blame me if Taylor hauls your...rear in for being down here
again.”

Cassie stood and picked up a cue. Someday,
she’d tell Johnny a few things about Seth Taylor’s unorthodox
methods all those years ago. But right now, it was better to let
him worry about her. As she’d told Zoe, she’d do anything to help
these kids. Especially this one.

o0o

HAL STONEHOUSE WATCHED Mitch wolf down his
roast beef sandwich at Pepper’s that afternoon. “How come you eat
like a pig and never gain an ounce?”

Mitch smiled, a genuine response, if a rare
one. “Just luck, I guess. And I work out every day.” His eyes
scanned his friend. “You should too, Hal. After what Kurt told
you.”

“Your brother’s a good doctor, but I can’t
change overnight.”

“You’re walking daily, aren’t you?”

“You know I am. You watch me like a
hawk.”

“Well, you’re the one who lured me to Bayview
Heights.”

The old man smiled. “Yup, I am.”

“Then threw me into the lion’s den.”

Stonehouse scratched his chin. “Sorry about
that. I needed a juvie officer after Gifford died.”

Mitch winced at his friend’s tone. “Hal, that
wasn’t your fault.”

“He was inexperienced. I should’ve done
something different.”

“It’s in the past. Let it go.”

But even as he said the words, Mitch knew all
too well that the past could be a living, breathing entity that
wouldn’t allow you to escape no matter how hard you tried.

Hal looked at him. “Least I don’t have to
worry about you.”

Which is the only reason I agreed to this
purgatory. To ease the pressure on you.
Though Hal Stonehouse
had mentored him from the age of twenty, the old man still didn’t
know why Mitch avoided working with kids. No one did, except Kurt,
who knew only sketchy details. When Mitch had come back from
Vietnam, he’d refused to talk about his experiences to anybody. All
Hal knew was that Mitch had been in Southeast Asia at the very end
of the war and had come back with the scars and baggage that many
vets had brought home.

“So, how’s Smith?” Stonehouse asked. “She’s a
tough one. Didn’t know you’d get assigned to her.”

“Oh, she’s tough, all right. And sassy. And
manipulative. And a regular mother hen with her little chicks.”

Hal’s white eyebrows rose. “Must’ve hit a
nerve with you. I never heard you go on about anybody that
way.”

Mitch concentrated on his sandwich. “Don’t
start, Hal.”

“Okay, okay.” His moustache twitched when he
said, “But you gotta admit, she’s a looker.”

“She’s okay. A little tall for my taste. Lots
of angles. I like my women soft.”

“Not me. Haddie was as tough as they come.
Only kind of woman that could be married to a cop.”

Mitch snorted. “Marriage isn’t an institution
I’m fond of, anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” He glanced around and
his eyes focused on the doorway to the back room, which functioned
as a pool hall. He saw a flash of red the same color as the dress
Cassie Smith had been wearing today. Mitch started to rise. “Hold
on a second, will you, Hal? I’ll be right back.”

“Naw, I gotta go, anyway. I’ll see you at the
station.”

After Hal left, Mitch stood and checked the
clock. Two-thirty. He and Hal were having a late lunch. Could
school be out already?

Straightening his suit coat and buttoning the
front for good measure, he walked to the back room.

And couldn’t believe his eyes. Bent over the
pool table, with her back to him, was the illustrious Ms. Cassie
Smith. Her dress—which he’d thought too short for school,
anyway—was creeping up her thighs. He had to tear his eyes away
from the generous length of leg exposed by her position. Across the
table, Bad News Battaglia, as the department had dubbed him, was
grinning at her. Neither spotted Mitch, so he eased back into the
doorway to remain undetected.

“This is your last chance, Teach. If you
don’t bag this one, I’m off scot-free.”

“Can it, Battaglia. You’re just trying to
break my concentration.”

Confidently, she took an impossible shot off
the side, banking it right into the pocket. “Yes!” she said as she
stood, raising her right fist into the air. “I won.”

Battaglia mumbled something under his breath.
She giggled girlishly, then circled the table and hugged the boy.
Mitch was discomfited by the gesture.

“Don’t worry, kiddo, it’s only for ten
weeks,” she said, ruffling his hair. “You can handle Captain
Lansing that long.”

Though Battaglia tried to look disgusted, his
body language indicated relief. It took a minute for Mitch to
realize what had happened here. But he must be wrong. This teacher
couldn’t really have bet a kid on a pool game to get him back to
school.

“Um, Teach,” Battaglia said as his eyes met
Mitch’s. “Don’t say any more.”

Cassie looked at Battaglia, then turned to
track his gaze. “Oh,” she said when she saw Mitch. Her eyes wide,
she bit her bottom lip; she looked like a little girl caught doing
something naughty. But she wasn’t a little girl. She was a teacher
and supposedly a role model, and this wasn’t a very healthy example
to set.

She nodded, lifting her chin in unmistakable
challenge. “Captain. What brings you here?”

“Ms. Smith. Do you think I could see you
alone for a minute?”

Before Cassie could answer, Battaglia stepped
aggressively in front of her. “Why?”

“Johnny.” Cassie walked around the boy and
stared him down. “I can take care of this.” She turned to Mitch.
“You can buy me a soda out in the diner, if you like.” She faced
Johnny again. “You better get going. You’ll be late for work.”

After giving Mitch a purposeful stare, the
kid turned to Cassie. “Okay.”

“See you tomorrow.”

This time his look
was
disgusted. He
said, “Don’t rub it in, Teach,” and hustled out of the diner.

Cassie approached Mitch, the jersey material
of her dress swaying above her knees, resting against her full
breasts. Her eyes were alight with...mischief. “Now, what can I do
for you, Captain?”

Out of nowhere, he thought of a dark bedroom
and satin sheets. And Cassie Smith. Mitch’s whole body
tightened.

“Ah, we need to talk, Ms. Smith.”

o0o

WITH A CHERRY SODA in front of her, Cassie
sat across from Mitch in one of the vinyl booths. He sipped his
coffee as she toyed with her straw. “Answer the question,” he
said.

She looked up at him, her eyes flaring. “This
isn’t an interrogation, Lansing. I agreed to discuss Johnny with
you because I’m stuck with you in my class, but I won’t be
pushed.”

Hal was right, she was a tough one. Reluctant
admiration joined the irritation he felt every time he was with
her. “You know,” he said idly, “sometimes you talk and act just
like those kids you teach.”

“
Those
kids? I should have
known.”

“Known what?”

“You’re pretty obvious, Captain.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?”