Star Witness (7 page)

* * *

B
Y A QUARTER
to ten that night, Dani had showered and changed into pink satin pajamas and was sitting on the frilly Victorian bed with her mini notebook computer on her lap, working on a report that was due the next day. A sharp rap on the door startled her.

“Dani? It’s Officer Field. Detective Kaye is here for the overnight shift. I’d like to introduce her to you.”

Detective?
It was protocol for the night-shift officer of a female witness to be female, but it was rare that detectives took protective detail. Dani set her computer aside, got up and, after grabbing a white shawl to throw around her shoulders, opened the door.

Field was still almost as crisp and polished as he’d been twelve hours earlier. Standing beside him was a woman in her early-to-mid-thirties. Her black hair was in a long straight ponytail. She was dressed in street clothes, slim tan pants and a green shirt that complemented her dark skin. The only thing that kept her from looking like a casual friend who’d stopped by to visit was the badge pinned to her waistband and the black leather shoulder holster. Draped over her left arm was a jacket that matched her pants.

“Hi,” she said, offering her hand. “I’m Detective Michele Kaye.” She had a firm grip.

“Dani Canto.” She searched her memory. Had she met Kaye before? “Nice to meet you, Detective.”

“Call me Michele,” the detective said.

“Okay, then,” Field continued. “I’m on my way. Y’all have a good night.”

Michele glanced around the living room, then stepped up to the bedroom door. “I need to see your room. I want to familiarize myself with it.” She shrugged, adjusting the position of the holster. The gesture was intimidating. Dani decided that Detective Kaye would have no trouble handling herself in any situation.

“Ignore the mess,” Dani said. She’d had Field set the boxes from her office by the bed so they’d be within easy reach. Her clothes were draped over the dainty chair that sat in front of a Victorian writing desk, and her shoes were next to the boxes.

Michele snorted. “This is not a mess. My two kids—
they
can make a mess.”

“You have two children? How old are they?”

“Seven and eight.” She smiled. “My mother takes care of them when I work overtime.”

“I didn’t realize detectives were ever assigned this kind of duty,” Dani said.

“I volunteer for overtime as often as I can. It comes in handy when you’re a single mother.” As she spoke, she checked the bathroom, then turned her attention to the bank of windows on the far side of the room. She frowned. “I don’t like those windows. They’re a security risk, so large and low to the ground. Someone could climb in.”

Dani swung around and looked at them. She hadn’t noticed how large they were, but now, with Michele’s words, the nape of her neck prickled. “Wow,” she said. “Thanks for pointing that out,” she finished wryly.

“It’s my job. But don’t worry. I’ll take a spin around the house every hour or so, just to be sure there’s no one hanging around. This is a pretty good area. It’ll probably be fine.”

“Unless Yeoman, or whoever tried to run me down, figures out where I am.”

Detective Kaye nodded. “That’s why we’re here,” she said. “Well, I’ll leave you alone. I see you’re working.” She started for the door. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll be right outside. Holler if you need me.”

Michele went out and pulled the bedroom door to, leaving it ajar. Dani tried to settle back down and finish her report, but she couldn’t concentrate. Detective Kaye’s critical assessment of the windows had made her aware of just how big they were and how close to her bed. She set the computer aside and got under the covers, then turned out the bedside lamp.

She was almost asleep when she heard something. She froze, holding her breath and feeling a creepy déjà vu from the night before, when Harte had walked around outside her house.

She was probably letting her imagination run away with her.
Settle down.
She didn’t want to get a reputation as the public defender who cried wolf on her first night.

She turned over, trying to relax her tense muscles. She sighed, closed her eyes and did her best to clear her mind.

Then the noise sounded again. Like a scrape of a shoe on a hard surface. She yelped softly, then covered her mouth with her hand. She lifted her head and peered at the windows, trying to see if she could spot a moving shadow or something.

Then suddenly, a high-pitched screech rent the air. Dani shrieked involuntarily.

Almost immediately, a knock sounded on her door and it swung open. Michele stood there, her right hand reaching for her weapon. “What is it?” she whispered
sotto voce.

“I’m sorry. Something made a horrible noise outside the window. But now that I think about it, I’m sure it was cats fighting,” Dani whispered, feeling silly.

Michele walked over to the windows and parted the curtains to look out. “I heard the screeching. I’m pretty sure it was cats too. But get your shoes on and go into the living room,” she said. “I’m going to take a walk around the house.”

“I’m sorry,” Dani repeated, but Michele was already heading out the front door.

Dani jumped up, shoved her feet into her sandals and grabbed her purse before going into the living room. She clutched the bag to her chest as she waited for Michele to return.

When the front doorknob turned Dani stiffened, but of course it was the detective.

“I didn’t see anything,” she said. “Not even cats. There were no footprints on that side of the house, and I think there would be, because it’s been raining a little.”

Dani nodded.

Michele eyed her. Her mouth twitched. “I see you’re all ready to go, with your purse and your sandals.”

Dani’s face burned. She probably looked ridiculous, but she wasn’t about to tell Michele she was hanging on to the bag because of the gun inside. She shrugged and smiled wryly. “I’m not used to being scared of anything. But I’m kind of spooked, since the prosecutor has got me guarded by police. I apologize for all the uproar over cats.”

“Don’t apologize. I need to know if you hear even the slightest noise. Now go on back to bed. Everything should be fine. Like I told you, I’ll make the rounds every hour or so. I’ll vary it in case someone’s watching, but I don’t think anyone is. This B-and-B is in a perfect location for hiding a witness. At the end of the street, with a vacant lot behind it. Not much traffic. I think I’ll talk to Mr. Delancey tomorrow about moving you to a more secure room, though—second floor maybe.”

Dani started to tell her that Harte had already dismissed the idea of a second-floor room, but she thought better of it. She wouldn’t mind seeing Harte tangle with Michele. Besides, she still liked the idea of being on a higher floor. Less chance that someone could crawl in her window.

Chapter Six

The next morning, Dani woke to the sound of voices. “Granddad?” she whispered, and grabbed the covers to toss them aside, but they didn’t feel right. She stared at the material. This wasn’t her bedspread. She squinted up at the filmy curtains hanging at the tall windows. Then she realized where she was, and why.

The voices were still talking, too low to distinguish. She frowned, listening more closely. There was a male voice. No, two male voices. And a female. The door muffled them so she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Holding her breath and concentrating, she placed the lower-pitched male voice. It was Harte.

She groaned. Why was he here? One thing she knew—it wasn’t going to be good news for her. Unless maybe they’d firmed up the trial date. She threw back the covers and got up, reaching for her cell phone to check the time. Ten-thirty? Wow. She hadn’t slept eight hours straight since her granddad had died.

She combed her hair and threw on jeans, a tank top and a red, long-sleeved shirt before going to the door. Harte, Officer Field and Detective Kaye all turned to look at her. Field was dressed casually today, but the paddle holster at the small of his back ruined his careful suburban image.

“Good morning,” Harte said, with that smile on his face. “We’ve been talking about you.” This morning he looked more like the man she was accustomed to seeing. He was dressed in a gray suit, a snowy white shirt and a multicolored designer tie. He was clean-shaven. Mr. Prosecutor was back.

She shot a glance at Michele, but she couldn’t read her expression. She looked back at Harte. “Should my ears be burning?”

“Michele brought up the obvious security issue with the windows in your room. We won’t be moving you, but I’m going to have a motion-activated floodlight installed just outside your windows. It might be inconvenient if a cat walks across the yard and triggers it, but you’ll know if there’s anyone outside your window at night.”

She winced at his reference to cats. Had Michele told him? “Great,” she said sarcastically. “I’ll have warning that someone is about to crash through the windows and kill me.”

Harte gave her a hard look, but Michele and Ronald exchanged a glance. Ronald’s eyes twinkled. Michele’s face remained immobile.

“It’s the best option,” Harte said dismissively.

Dani threw up her hands. “Fine. Fine. You obviously know best.” She looked toward the kitchen, sniffing the air. “I smell coffee, thank goodness. Is there anything to eat?”

“I saw bagels and sweet rolls in the refrigerator,” Michele said.

“The manager isn’t here this week,” Harte added. “Since we took over the entire house. He told me he’d left some breakfast items in the refrigerator. I feel sure you can make do.”

Dani groaned as she poured a cup of coffee. Harte Delancey might be easy on the eyes, but he was really hard on the patience. And the fact that she’d gotten a good night’s sleep hadn’t made him any less annoying.

Harte nodded to Michele as she left, then turned to Field. “How did things go yesterday? Any problem with Ms. Canto?” he asked, eliciting what sounded like a snort from the kitchen. He ignored it.

“No, sir. We went straight to the courthouse and back. We brought two boxes of files and papers back with us.”

Harte nodded. The rookie officer was impressively earnest. Harte had no doubt that he would defend Dani’s life with his own if necessary. “Want some coffee? Ms. Canto and I are going to talk about the upcoming case.”

“No, sir. I’ll take a look around the house and up and down the street while you’re here.”

“Good. Thanks.”

As Ronald left, Harte turned to the kitchen. Dani was dressed in the same jeans she’d worn the day before. He hadn’t missed how well they fit her long sleek legs and trim, curvy backside. They looked even sexier today. How was that possible? He watched her retrieve a sweet roll from the microwave and set it on the small table. When she looked up and frowned, he realized he was staring.

“What?” she said, jerking the chair out and sitting down.

He walked over and picked up her coffee mug from the counter and set it in front of her. “Forgot your coffee,” he said lightly, then turned to pour himself a cup.

“I guess Michele told you about my silly reaction to the cats?” she asked as he sat down across from her. She cut a wedge of cinnamon roll.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s silly. You need to tell her or Field any time you think you hear something outside your window. I don’t want to take any chances with your safety.”

“Well, thanks.” She gestured with her fork. “These rolls are surprisingly good. You should have one.”

He tore his gaze away from her and sent a halfhearted glance toward the package. What he wanted to have was a chance to taste the little dollop of icing off the corner of her mouth. He swallowed. “I came by to tell you that the judge called me this morning. He apologized for the trial date being moved forward. Said he’d put it on the docket last week, but he’d been out of town. I’m thinking Drury must have seen the date on the docket. If he told Yeoman that the trial was moved forward, that could be why Yeoman has been trying to frighten you. You should be happy that the trial is starting. The earlier it starts, the quicker it finishes.”

“I guess so,” Dani said. “But that doesn’t leave much time for prep.”

“Right. We’ll be working on that all this weekend.”

“But Tuesday—I’m not sure I’m ready,” she said, setting her fork down.

“Of course you are. You know the process. It doesn’t matter that you’ve never testified in a trial yourself. You’ve tried plenty of cases. You know what to expect.”

She shook her head, and a couple of strands of her dark hair fell across her face. She shoved them back with an impatient hand. “I haven’t been...” She paused, then started again. “I haven’t talked about that night with anyone—I mean, other than the police and someone from the D.A.’s office back when it happened. Whenever I think about it...” Her voice cracked.

Harte watched her. He’d sat with lots of witnesses as they talked through their grief. Violent death was a cruel and heartless way to die. It left family and friends not only grief-stricken but guilt-ridden, wondering if they could have done something to prevent their loved one’s death. He always felt tremendous sympathy for those left behind.

But the feelings niggling their way through his chest right now were more than just sympathy for Dani as a grieving granddaughter. He felt protective of her. He had an unprofessional urge to hold her close and ease her pain.

No.
Not hold her close. He hadn’t meant that. He
didn’t
want that. He was merely concerned about her safety and state of mind. He needed to make sure that by Monday, she could clearly and succinctly describe what had happened the night Freeman Canto died. That was all.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. He tried to concentrate on what she was saying.

“It’s funny. I was okay at the funeral too. But ever since—” Her eyes filled with tears. She blinked and looked down at her hands.

Harte leaned his forearms on the table. “It’s no wonder that you’re upset now. You were almost run down by a car yesterday. Not to mention being uprooted from your home, which you shared with your granddad until he was murdered. I suspect that hearing those cats last night was the last straw. You’re in a much more vulnerable state than you’ve been so far since your granddad died.”