CHAPTER 14

Cassie sat in her carin the PCS parking lot and dialed Wade’s number.

“Officer Riley, can I help you?”

“Wade? It’s Cassie,” she said.

“What is it?” he said. “Are you all right?” The concern in his voice touched something deep in her core. But she pushed it away. “I think I have a clue that may help the case. Can we meet somewhere to talk?”

“Sure, Hugo and I are at the station. Do you want to come in?”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

When she arrived, Wade escorted Cassie back into the conference room they’d used before.

“Please don’t tell me you have that dog in there again,” he said, indicating the tote bag.

As if she knew he was talking about her, Angel’s head popped out of the bag, and Wade sighed deeply. But this time, he didn’t say anything.

“Where is Hugo?” Cassie asked, stroking the dog’s head.

Wade suppressed a grin. “He’s coming.”

Moments later, Hugo walked stiff-legged into the conference room. He slowly made his way to the seat beside Wade, and then after multiple attempts to lower himself into a chair, gave up and said, “I think I’ll just stand today.”

“You’re going to have to sit in the car,” Wade pointed out.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Hugo said.

Cassie watched his performance with interest. “Is something wrong, Hugo?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” he said.

“He went running with Ani yesterday,” Wade said. “She told him she’s concerned about this,” he reached up to pat Hugo’s protruding middle, but Hugo smacked his hand away, making Cassie smile. “Told him that belly fat is bad for his heart.”

Cassie bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing. “You know, Ani’s one of the fastest runners on her high school cross-country team. She runs multiple miles almost every day. How far did you guys go?”

“Six miles.”

“Six miles!” Wade exclaimed. “No wonder you’re sore! When’s the last time you even ran two miles?”

“Never mind,” Hugo grumbled. “Can we please focus on what Cassie has for us?”

Wade and Hugo both listened intently as Cassie told them about Brett’s shoes and about how he’d been researching famous art thefts on his cell phone.

When she finished, Wade nodded and looked at Hugo. “That’s definitely enough for probable cause.”

“Let’s bring him in,” Hugo said.

“Can I come with you?” Cassie asked.

Wade sighed. “No, Cassie. It’s—” “

“Don’t tell me,” Cassie said, suddenly angry. “It’s against the rules.”

Wade’s amber eyes softened as he looked at her. “Listen, we’ll make an exception to the rules and let you watch the interview.”

Cassie’s face lit up. “Like through a two-way mirror?”

“Uh...no,” Wade said, smiling at her enthusiasm. “This is real life. We use cameras.”

**

Wade stood, lookingacross a small table at Brett, who sat back in a molded plastic chair, arms crossed, a belligerent expression on his face. A public defender in a crisp, dark gray suit sat beside him.

Wade knew Cassie sat next to Hugo in a room down the hall, watching the scene unfold in front of a computer screen.

“Let’s try this again,” Wade said, and Brett shrugged without looking at him.

“Where were you on that Monday evening between four-thirty and six-thirty?”

Brett’s eyes rolled to the ceiling. “Like I already told you fifty times. At. Home.”

“And you don’t have anybody who can verify this?”

The public defender seated next to Brett leaned forward. “That question has been asked and answered, Officer Riley. You’ve searched his apartment and found nothing. No evidence of any kind that he stole anything. If you don’t have anything else, you can’t keep him here.”

Wade sat down in the chair across from Brett. He was silent for a long moment, studying Brett’s face. Then he leaned forward and said, “We’ve gone through your phone, Brett. We saw your searches on art thefts. Why were you researching art thefts?”

“Cause I felt like it,” Brett said. He slouched back in his chair and met Wade’s eyes with a sneer. “I’m not the one you should be investigating. You should be looking closer at my loser co-worker, Cassie Sherwin.”

Wade felt a flicker of surprise, but his face remained expressionless.

“She’s gotta be in on it, man,” Brett went on. “She’s an illegal street racer. And she knows her way around engines. Does she seriously want us all to believe that the van she was driving just suddenly broke down? And she gets out and leaves it unlocked? I’m telling ya’, she’s the one that stole that old lady’s painting, probably with some partner. She has a history of stealing, you know,” Brett added with a smug smile.

Wade’s voice was harsh. “We’re not here to discuss your co-worker, Brett. We’re here to talk about you.”

The conversation continued to go in circles that led nowhere. Finally, Wade was forced to release Brett.

Once he’d left the building, Cassie and Hugo left the observation room, meeting Wade in the hallway outside.

“So, that’s it?” Cassie said in frustration. “He’s free to go?”

“I’m afraid so,” Wade said. “At least for now.”

Cassie began pacing up and down in front of them, counting out her points on her fingertips. “Brett used to boost cars when we were in high school, so he could have easily stolen that truck. He was researching stolen art. He has the right shoes. Oh!” She suddenly stopped her pacing and faced them. “I almost forgot. He also made a snarky comment to me on the day of the theft, just before I left in the company van. He said something about being careful not to destroy my precious record of perfect deliveries. C’mon, guys, it has to be him!”

Wade felt as upset as she was. “It’s not enough that we suspect it, Cassie. We have to be able to prove it. Unfortunately, his lawyer was right. The search of his apartment and vehicle both came up empty. And even though he has no alibi for the time of the theft, we have no real evidence to continue holding him. So, for now, we have no choice but to let him walk.”

With an angry swipe of her hand, Cassie tossed back her auburn hair. “This is so wrong,” she said. “I know it was him, Wade. I know it!”

Her emerald eyes sparked like green lightening in her flushed face. As she stood there in the midst of her Cassie-style storm, he thought she looked more beautiful than ever. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms to soothe the savage beast.

Instead, he said, “I get it, Cassie. And we’ll keep watching him. If it was Brett, he’ll eventually slip up,” Wade said. “He doesn’t seem particularly bright.”

“You got that right,” Cassie muttered.

“Listen, I’m going to go take care of the paperwork,” Hugo said, turning, then he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “And I’ll leave you to calm her down.”

“I heard that!” Cassie said as they watched him waddle painfully up the hall. She turned her back to the wall and leaned against it, staring at the floor, arms crossed.

Wade moved closer. Dressed simply in jeans and a sleeveless cream-colored blouse, her clothing highlighted the soft curves of her body. The top button of her blouse was open, revealing her delicate collarbone, and he could smell the honeysuckle fragrance of her rich, russet hair. She looked up at him then, and he was suddenly swimming in the sea-green depths of her eyes. Geez, focus, Riley.

She broke the spell with her next words. “He wasn’t lying, you know.”

Wade frowned. “About?”

“About me,” she said quietly. “I do have a history that I’m not proud of.”

“Cassie, you don’t need to explain—”

“Yes, I do,” she said, and looked at the floor again as she found the words. “I got busted for shoplifting when I was in high school. And Brett is right. I used to race illegally, too. Although, I never got caught for that,” she added, a hint of pride creeping into her voice.

She found his eyes again and held them. “Did you know that I used to live in the same foster home as Ani?”

Wade shook his head.

“Not the one she’s in now—although the couple she lives with now could totally be related to the foster parents we shared,” Cassie said, her lips tightening. “The couple we lived with were the worst kind of foster parents. Anyway, one night, I got caught vandalizing their property with some friends and they kicked me out. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because that’s how I came to live with the Wainwrights. And as I mentioned before, they were the best foster parents I could have ever asked for, helping me straighten out my life and get on the right track.

“You didn’t have to tell me all that, Cassie,” Wade said softly.

She lifted her chin. “I just...wanted you to know exactly who you’re dealing with,” she said. “And I didn’t want you thinking the absolute worst of me after what Brett said.”

“I wouldn’t have,” he said with heat, his eyes still locked on hers. Then, as if magnetized, Wade felt himself moving closer until he stood directly in front of her. He was only inches away, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her body and breathe in the intoxicating scent of her. It was making his head spin. His gaze dropped from her eyes to her soft, pink, parted lips. More than anything in that moment, he wanted to kiss her. His eyes met hers again and he was surprised to see the same desire reflecting back at him. He slowly leaned in.

“Seriously, guys? Get a room!” said an officer who had just entered the hallway. He snorted with laughter as the two of them jumped apart.

“I...better go,” Cassie said. She turned away from him and walked quickly back up the hall.

Wade stood there, feeling equally bewildered and frustrated as he watched the sway of her hips until she was out of sight.