Broken Promises (14 page)

At the front door, Miss Waller thanked Bette
more profusely than her good deed called for. Point of fact,
thanking the older woman for saving
her
butt was more like
it. Alex was right. Someone was after her too. Maybe because she’d
been at the animal clinic that night. Or maybe everything that had
happened over the last couple of days had given her a blooming case
of paranoia.

Truthfully, she dreaded going back to
Jackie’s with only the Sheltie for protection. Right now a
Rottweiler would be a more convincing deterrent for any would-be
kidnappers. Then she held back a giggle. As uncomfortable as Alex
was around meek and mild Shadow, a Rottie would have him on
tranquilizers.

“Why don’t you come in for some lemonade,
dear?”

“Well, I have the dog…” she began, not
exactly anxious to leave. A glass of lemonade would be perfect
right about now.

“Oh, she’s such a sweet little thing. Just
bring her with you. I’m sure she won’t be a bit of bother.”

“Thanks. I will, then.” She followed the
woman inside and surveyed the array of Victorian era antiques. Very
good quality, if her eyes weren’t deceived. The woman gestured for
her to have a seat.

“You have some lovely pieces,” Bette said and
sat by a rosewood tea table.

Jackie’s neighbor brought a tray set with a
frosty pitcher of lemonade and two cut crystal glasses and set them
on the tea table. “Was that someone you knew in the Cadillac?” She
raised a gray brow. “Or was he bothering you?”

“At first he asked for directions to the Wine
and Culinary Center, but then he asked me to show him. I was so
glad to see you.” Then she hastened to add, “Of course, I would’ve
offered to help you anyway.”

“I know you would, Bette. And you must call
me Jane.” The older woman poured a glass for Bette, then one for
herself. She sat and shook her head. “I don’t know what this world
is coming to. First Jackie, then her little boy.” She took a sip.
“Do you think someone is after you too?”

Bette shrugged. “Who knows?” she said with a
deprecating laugh. “Maybe I’m just paranoid. You know, Jane, I was
there right before Jackie disappeared. I was the last person to see
her, except for the man who took her.” She sampled the lemonade.
Delish. “Would you mind if I called my friend, Alex? He’ll pick me
up, and then”
—s
he glanced down at the
Sheltie who gazed up so lovingly
—
“we
could get out of your way.”

“You’re no trouble. But I don’t blame you for
a second for wanting an escort home.”

“It’s only two houses away, but…” Honestly
she was turning into a nervous Nellie. Next, she’d be jumping at
the slightest sound. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d turn into the
little old lady who called the police about hearing burglars.

“No need to explain.” The woman stood, picked
up a plate of cookies from the counter, and set it on the table in
front of Bette. “In the meantime, help yourself. Have a
cookie.”

Bette took one. The smell of cinnamon
sprinkles set her taste buds to jonesing. She took a bite, and the
sweet flavor burst forth on her tongue. A small moan escaped before
she could call it back. “Cinnamon sugar. My favorite.”

The older woman smiled. “From your reaction,
I would say so.”

Bette leaned forward and said in her most
conspiratorial manner. “I know a lot of women, men too, who swear
by chocolate, but for me, it’s cinnamon. That’s what does it for
me.”

“And does your friend do it for you too?” The
woman’s brows shot up, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.
“Oh, mercy. That just popped out.”

Laughter bubbled through Bette, and her
cheeks grew hot. “I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that yet.
We’re just friends, for now. He has a lot on his plate with the
investigation into his sister’s and nephew’s disappearances.”

“Such handsome youngsters he and his brother
were.” Miss Waller leaned back, and her gaze grew distant as she
spoke. “Identical, like two peas in a pod. Andy was the quieter of
the two, loved computers, and Alex was the one always getting into
trouble. They were both smart. Good in sports. After Alex’s twin
was murdered, he got worse. He was always on the reckless side. He
got into some minor scrapes, and yet he’s the one who became a FBI
agent.” She bit into a cookie and chewed with a thoughtful
expression.

“I think he felt responsible for his
brother’s death,” Bette said. “It drives him still.”

“Sounds as if you know him pretty well.”

She nodded and felt her cheeks warming again.
“He’s shared a little with me. But it’s easy to see he hasn’t
gotten over it. And everything that’s happened with Jackie and Cody
makes it worse.”

“I wager he feels pretty helpless.” Miss
Waller paused, wiping a cookie crumb from her mouth. “Has to make
it worse, knowing what he knows and seeing what he’s seen in the
FBI.”

“It does.” Bette rummaged inside her purse
and pulled out her cell phone. “Speaking of the man, I’d better
call him and let him know where I am. Excuse me.”

The woman nodded and topped off their glasses
of lemonade. “Go right ahead.”

Alex picked up on the first ring and swore at
her. “Where the hell have you been? I was at the point of calling
the CPD and reporting you and your mutt as MIA.”

She bristled at the “mutt” remark but let it
go. “I’m two doors down from Jackie’s in the light blue house with
white shutters. I’ll explain when I see you.” She punched the
disconnect button. Just where did he get off talking to her like
that? Not that it wasn’t kind of nice to have someone actually care
where she was. ’Cause it was.

The neighbor smiled politely at their quick
exchange. “Good. Tell it like it is. And while you’re at it, don’t
take any guff from him or any other man. That’s always been my
motto.” Then she winked at Bette. “Probably why I’m still a single
lady after all these years.”

Single after all these years?
Was a
house full of antiques and crocheted doilies what lay in store for
Bette’s future?

“I’m sure you had plenty of boyfriends in
your day.”

The elderly woman sat straight, her gray
brows arched. “Young lady, I’ll have you know I’m not dead
yet.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t mean to imply—” Her misery
was ended by the other woman’s laughter and a knock on the front
door.

Alex.

“Don’t.” Bette motioned for her neighbor to
remain seated. “I’ll get it.”

She opened the door, and relief flooded
through her with a rush. Tall, tan, blue-eyed Alex. Oops. Make that
Alex wearing his frownie face. “Come inside. Be extra nice and Miss
Waller might let you have some lemonade and cookies.”

“Miss Jane, you’re looking well.” He nodded,
saving his smile for the older woman. He settled somewhat uneasily
on the settee beside Bette and shot her a sideways glare.

Okay, so he was pissed off. Nothing new about
that.

He made nice with his sister’s neighbor but
didn’t have anything to say to Bette. Fine. If he wanted to act
like a spoiled brat, he could. Minding his manners, he accepted a
glass of lemonade and bit into a cookie. A genuine smile broke
across his face. So, she wasn’t the only one who loved
cinnamon.

He praised the neighbor’s baking to the high
heavens and then said to Bette in a rather churlish, in her
opinion, manner that it was time to get back to the apartment for a
strategy session.

After thanking Miss Waller for her
hospitality, Bette nodded and rolled her eyes just so Miss Waller
could see, and that good woman’s mouth twitched with a held-back
smile.

Bette restrained her own impulse to smile. No
need to let Alex in on their little private joke. She led Shadow
outside, and as soon as they were on the porch, Alex deigned to
speak. “I want an explanation. Why are you…?”

“Explanations when we get home.” She jutted
her chin and sashayed back toward Jackie’s house, happy in the
knowledge Alex was right behind her and for once she was safe.

Chapter Fifteen

Bette unlocked her apartment door with one
hand and snatched the note with her other and held it under Alex’s
nose. “See there? I left you a note.”

“First, why the heck didn’t you just call me
and tell me you were going to walk the dog?”

She couldn’t resist shooting him a slight
smirk. “Because you would’ve told me to wait for you, and I didn’t
think Shadow could—wait, that is.”

“Second, think you could’ve put a time on the
note? Given me a clue how long you’d been gone? And third, why were
you at Miss Waller’s house instead of walking the dog? And
why
did you think it necessary for me to come over and get
you?” Hands positioned at his waist, he loomed over her—all six
feet three inches of him. The man really could loom when he had a
mind to.

“Well, silly. You would’ve missed the
lemonade and cookies if I hadn’t.”

He puffed out his cheeks and blew out a
breath. “Had to be more than lemonade and cookies—by the way, they
rocked. Explain, please, before I’m tempted to wring your pretty
neck.”

Delaying an answer, she walked over to the
bedroom mirror and preened at his “pretty neck” remark. “Do you
really think so?”

“Stop changing the subject. Why the hell were
you having cookies at Miss Waller’s? Besides, I didn’t give you
permission to go out without me in the first place.”

“
Permission?
” A full-blown shudder ran
through her. She took a deep breath. “First of all, I’m a grown
woman and used to doing as I please.” She glanced down at Shadow
and said firmly, “
We
needed some exercise, didn’t we,
girl?”

“Again I ask, why weren’t you walking her?
What happened? Dollars to doughnuts, something did.”

“Is it your cop’s
gut
that tells you
so damned much?” She set her hands on her hips and got in his face,
as much as she could, given he was a good eleven inches taller.

“No, it’s the dodgy expression in your eyes
and the annoying way you answer all my questions with a
question.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Fine. Then I’ll tell
you.”

“I
knew
it.” He paced in long strides
across the limited free space of her sitting room.

The smug expression on his face was
aggravating beyond belief. “If you know so damned much—”

Alex stopped mid-stride and turned slowly.
Red-faced and jaw clenched, he sucked in a deep breath. “Are you
purposely trying to drive me insane? Because I’m close.” The words
came out with an angry rasp.

She shook her finger in his face. “You just
hold on a damned minute. Let me get Shadow settled in the bedroom.
Our arguing is upsetting her.” She hid her satisfaction at having
the final word, led the dog into the bedroom, and unfastened the
leash.

“Fine,” he called after her. “Wouldn’t want
to upset the dog, or should I say the
baby
?”

Ignoring his snarky comment, she patted the
comforter. Shadow sprang onto the bed and rolled over on her back.
After a quick belly rub, Bette told the dog to go on and take a
nap.

Nothing else to do now but face Alex and tell
him about the man in the burgundy Caddy.

No more freedom until the kidnapper was
found. Not that she minded Alex acting as if they were joined at
the hip. Still, what was she playing at? With her family history, a
Fed was the last person she ought to be getting involved with. Not
that she was ever involved in her brother’s business, but there was
bound to be at least a rule or two against a government agent
fraternizing with a Mafia princess.

She shut the door behind her, walked over to
the sofa, and plopped down. “All right. You’ve had a bug up your
butt ever since you picked me up at Miss Waller’s. What was that
about?”

“You’re stonewalling.” He sat somewhat
gingerly in the wing chair with the frayed arms and stretched out
his long legs. “Spill it, Bette. What happened?”

“All right!” she said with some heat. “I
figured walking up toward Main wouldn’t hurt anything. We’d gone
about a block or so when this burgundy Caddy CTS, late model, by
the way, pulled to the curb ahead of me. He rolled down the window
and asked for directions to the wine center.” She reached up and
finger-combed her bangs back from her forehead.

“Sounds innocuous enough.”

“Then he asked me to
show
him the way
and opened the passenger side door. Now, I just have to tell you
that gave me a real hinky feeling. The hair stood up on the back of
my neck. I mean it really did. I told him sorry, but I had the dog,
and luckily, Miss Waller was coming down the sidewalk. I waved like
a madwoman and asked if I could help carry her bags. That’s how we
ended up at her house.” The last words came out with a whoosh of
relief. She leaned forward and waited for his response.

Frowning, he stood and paced the short length
of the room twice before he stopped and fixed his gaze on her. “No
more walks for the dog
—
alone, I mean.
We’ll take her together.” He took two more long strides and stopped
right in front of her. He eyeballed her like she was a suspect in
an interrogation room. “Learned something else today. When were you
going to tell me? Or
were
you?”

Okay, he’d been at the police station. Had
they gotten around to running her prints? Was the CPD that
efficient? Could she bluff him? “What? Is that bug up your butt
still buzzing?” Not a great comeback, but the best she could come
up with on short notice.

His jaw tightened. “Bettina. Maria. Spinelli.
Daughter of Victor Spinelli. Sister of Gino Spinelli. Crime boss.
Guess that makes you Miss Mafia Prin-
cess
.”

Oh, crap. Scratch the bluffing option. She
opened her mouth, but it was cotton-ball dry. “I left that life
behind,” she managed to croak and tugged at the neck of her
T-shirt. “I wasn’t a part of any of it.”