Trial by Fire (A Miranda and Parker Mystery Book 6) Read online

  Miranda shifted her weight in her hard metal chair. She didn’t know what to say to that question. What would Demarco say? What about Parker? Hell, he’d gone AWOHL and she was in charge of this case. Why not take Templeton along?

  As far as she could see Templeton was a good detective. Thorough, logical, conscientious. She knew some cool tricks with the search engines as well. So why did Demarco take her off this case—a case she wanted badly—and ask Parker to come in and help with it? Didn’t make sense.

  “How’s it goin’ down here?”

  Miranda nearly jumped out of her chair at the sound of the Chicago accent.

  She spun around and, speak of the devil, there was Demarco at the end of the tall evidence shelf behind her. He was heading straight for her corner. And Parker was right beside him.

  They made quite a pair, the two of them in dress shirts and ties, Parker with his dark jacket, towering over the skinny Homicide officer with the toothpick sticking out of the side of his mouth.

  Demarco sauntered up to the desk, put his hands on his hips, and scanned the laptops and the papers on it.

  He turned to Templeton. “Kadera was looking for you earlier.” A whole lot of hidden meaning in that statement.

  Miranda glanced at the time on her cell phone. It was quarter to seven. At night.

  Templeton got to her feet as if about to leave. “Sorry, sir,” she said. “I got carried away.”

  Miranda put out a hand to stop her from going. “I asked Templeton to help me. Hope you don’t mind, Sergeant.”

  Demarco’s toothpick went back and forth in his mouth. “A little late to ask.”

  That was the idea.

  Miranda rose beside her new sidekick. “Actually, Templeton has been a big help.”

  Quickly Miranda told him about their suspect and summarized the data they’d discovered on him.

  Demarco seemed impressed. “Good work.”

  “Plus Templeton found the lawyer for the Tannenburg estate. I’d like to go see him in the morning.”

  Parker gave Miranda a smile that said he was pleased. “That’s excellent progress.” He turned to Templeton. “Thank you for your help, Detective.”

  For the first time Templeton acted the way most women did around Parker. She stared at his handsome face and blushed. “Just doin’ my job.”

  “About tomorrow morning.” Parker’s expression turned to a troubled frown. “Miranda, do you think you can handle that detail with the detective?”

  He meant the visit to the lawyer. He was bailing again.

  She resisted letting out a snarl. “Oh? Why?”

  Parker glanced at Demarco. A glance that made a warning bell go off in Miranda’s head.

  “I have one more prospective employee to interview for the Agency. The sergeant says it’s the best prospect yet.”

  For just a nanosecond shock flashed across Demarco’s face. Then he manned up and swung at the ball Parker had tossed him.

  “Right.” He grinned, laying a hand on Parker’s shoulder. “I really want you to see this guy, Parker, and it’s the only time he’s available.”

  Parker turned back to her. “I’m sorry about this conflict.”

  Oh, brother. Parker had dragged Demarco into his charade, too?

  Miranda’s temper started to bubble like a hot pot of oil. Sorry, huh? She’d see who’d be sorry once she figured out what he was up to.

  But once again she plastered on her sweetest smile. “That would be just fine, dear.” She even managed to bat her eyelashes at him. “Templeton and I are big girls. We’ll be just fine.” She turned to the detective and returned to professional. “Unless you have another assignment.”

  Templeton looked at Demarco.

  The sergeant glanced at Parker.

  The exchange between them was odd. As if Demarco were warning Parker in a fatherly way that something was a bad idea. The something being whatever Parker was up to.

  Parker remained silent.

  Finally Demarco nodded. “I like the plan. Templeton, work with Ms. Steele here until the case is closed.”

  Templeton’s face nearly split in two with a big smile.

  Miranda was happy for the woman, but she wasn’t about to let Parker get off that easy.

  “Guess what?” she said. “I bet Templeton here a Giordana’s pizza and she won. Anybody up for dinner?”

  Why not keep this little party going for a while? Somebody was bound to slip up about what Parker was doing behind her back.

  There was a long moment of awkward silence then Templeton shook her head.

  “It’ll have to be another time, Steele,” she said. “I’ve got to get home to the kid.”

  Demarco took his cue from that. “I’d better take off, too. The wife’s making meatloaf and she’d be royally teed if I had pizza without her.”

  Slippery man. He just didn’t want to be put on the spot.

  “Okay, but you’ll be missing a feast.” Miranda said, hoping to change his mind.

  Demarco grinned as if he knew exactly what she was doing and took a step toward the door. “Have to take a rain check.”

  Unaware of the undertones around her Templeton gathered up her things. “See you in the morning, Steele.”

  Miranda gave her a salute. “Meet you here at eight sharp.”

  Templeton grinned and returned the salute. “With bells on.”

  Demarco said goodnight, and boss and employee headed down the aisle together.

  Miranda turned to Parker. “Guess that leaves you and me.”

  He looked into her eyes with that sexy, penetrating gaze of his that told her he knew exactly what she’d been trying to do.

  But he didn’t give an inch.

  Instead he gestured gallantly toward the aisle. “Pizza it is.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Parker chose the restaurant’s location along Navy Pier, and they sat outside under a red umbrella looking out at the ships and sailboats in the harbor.

  Loving the feel of the lake wind in her hair Miranda tore into the meal. Thick stuffed pizza filled with pepperoni and onions and gooey cheese, and topped with flavorful red sauce. Her side, of course, was laced with two servings of jalapeno peppers.

  Yum.

  After the hours of mind numbing research she’d had to endure that afternoon, she deserved a little indulgence. And watching Parker attack his thick slice of pie with classy manners and a proper knife and fork made her smile. It might be messy but to her mind this dinner was more lavish than their first night in town at the fancy restaurant he’d taken her to.

  Eyeing her tenderly Parker took a napkin and wiped a bit of sauce from her chin. “I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”

  She pointed at her slice with her mouth full. “Best in the world.”

  Parker chuckled to himself and cut off a bite of his own slice. “This is good.”

  Playfully Miranda cocked her chin at him. “You’re not the only one who knows good food.”

  “I see that.” He took a moment to study her face as if fathoming the depths of her. But his mind was on business. “Tell me more about what you and Templeton found on Tannenburg,” he said.

  Glad his head was still in the game, she took a swallow of the deep red wine he had ordered and let out a defeated sigh. “Precious little. After his mother’s death we can’t find a record of him anywhere.”

  Parker mulled that over a moment. “Hospitals?”

  “Didn’t try those specifically.” She frowned. “If a hospital had ID’d him, there’d be a record of admittance. Or a death record. It would have popped up on the general search.”

  “Unless the hospital couldn’t identify him.”

  Miranda sat back to consider that. Had Adam Tannenburg been so grief-stricken he’d gone out without a wallet? Gotten in an accident? “So maybe he ended up as a John Doe somewhere?”

  “Perhaps.”

  Maybe their guy was wondering around with amnesia. Maybe he’d built a whole new identity by
this time. If he had, they might never find him.

  “Tannenburg was brought in for questioning for the Sutherland fire,” she said after another bite of pizza. “Templeton called somebody she knew at the county jail and had them fax the interview to us.”

  Parker frowned. “How did the police know about Tannenburg? He wasn’t mentioned in the case file.”

  Miranda rolled her eyes. “Apparently Mrs. Esposito called the cops after all and told the investigator working the case at the time about the blond shaggy-haired boyfriend.”

  “When she reported the fire?”

  Miranda shook her head. “The day after. They brought Tannenburg in that afternoon but he claimed he wasn’t at Lydia’s the night of the fire. They released him. No mention of the silver Mustang leaving the scene in the report.”

  “Unreliable witness,” Parker muttered.

  “Or Tannenburg lied. Templeton had the notes on her call in her desk.”

  Parker frowned as he made another well-mannered cut into his slice. “Templeton? I thought she turned all the records over to the sergeant.”

  Miranda swallowed. “Oh, I didn’t tell you. There was a rape kit.”

  “Rape kit?” Parker’s voice turned low and brittle.

  “Wasn’t processed at the time. Templeton sent it to the lab last week.” Miranda bit into her piece again and chewed slowly.

  Parker put down his fork “What aren’t you telling me?”

  She lifted a shoulder as she swallowed more wine. “The detective was hiding the papers in her desk.”

  “Oh, she was, was she?” He seemed both surprised and irritated.

  “Yeah, she was.”

  “And the note about Mrs. Esposito’s call? I was wondering how you had missed that. You combed through every bit of that file.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “And you discovered the kit how?” Parker was getting perturbed now.

  Miranda decided she’d better explain things to him before he got Demarco on the phone. “I found the original paper in the evidence box. There wasn’t a kit in there or anything related to it, so I confronted Templeton.”

  “You ‘confronted’ her. I see.” Parker sat back, his angry look melting into curiosity. “That would have been interesting to see.”

  Miranda grinned, relishing the response and the closeness she felt sharing the case with him. “Yeah, we had it out. I was ready to sock the bitch.”

  “And did you?” He smiled as if he wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she had. He knew her too well.

  Miranda snorted out a snicker. “She thought I was some rich, spoiled debutante playing at detective work.”

  Parker wiped his mouth to cover his shock. “That must have gone over well.”

  “She made me laugh. So I told her a little about my background. That broke the ice and she told me hers. She’s got a kid. A four-year-old boy. Father was a fireman. She lost him two years ago.”

  Parker’s face turned compassionate. “I’m sorry for them.”

  “Yeah. That’s why this case means so much to her. So I asked her to work with me. Turns out she’s good.”

  Slowly Parker nodded, admiration for his wife’s fair-mindedness glowing in his eyes. “Apparently. I’m glad she’ll be with you tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow. Right. Miranda shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable. “Yeah. Me, too.”

  Three wouldn’t have been a crowd if Parker was coming along. She wished he would. Or at least she wished she knew where he was really going. If that song and dance he’d done with Demarco back in the Evidence Room didn’t prove he was up to something, she was an orangutan’s behind.

  She pushed her plate away and watched a colorful tour boat on the lake glide into the dock. Now that Parker was wined and dined, maybe she could get some real information out of him.

  “Anyway if Adam Tannenburg turns up as the donor, we’ll know he was lying about being at Lydia’s the night of the fire.”

  Parker nodded in agreement. “Excellent work.”

  “Thanks.” She wiped her mouth and tossed her napkin down next to her plate. “So. Tell me about these candidates you’re seeing for the Agency.”

  If she didn’t know his body so well, she wouldn’t have noticed the sudden stiffening of his back.

  But he gave her his standard charmer smile. “There isn’t much to tell.”

  At least not to her. “Any of them any good?”

  He reached for a sip of wine to consider the question, the wind ruffling his sexy salt and pepper hair. “The last one was a little too old.”

  Too old, huh? Ooh, he was making this look good. “I didn’t think age mattered so much.”

  “It did in this case.”

  She put her elbows on the table and leaned a little closer to him, smiling without quite as much charm. “What kind of background did he have? Military? Police?”

  “Army.” The answer came a little too quickly.

  “I’d think an Army guy would be a great addition to the Agency. Do you think Gen would approve of him?”

  Parker’s only daughter was the office manager at the Agency and she liked to put her two cents in wherever she could. At least she had when Parker had hired Miranda. Gen had been firmly against it.

  Parker pushed his plate away and sat back with an air of ease. But underneath she could see he was uncomfortable.

  “None of them are quite right.” His tone was dismissive.

  Keep going. Turn the screws. He’ll crack sooner or later.

  Parker studied the lines of his lovely wife’s set jaw, the gleam in her deep blue eyes. He knew what she wanted. A confession. A part of him longed to do just that. To lose himself in those lovely eyes and tell her the truth.

  But right now that would spell disaster.

  He couldn’t tell her anything until he had found the man he was looking for. Perhaps tomorrow he would.

  Miranda held Parker’s gaze, refusing to blink. You’re looking for something special? she wanted to ask. Maybe someone with a skill for sending anonymous text messages? The words were almost out of her mouth when her cell rang.

  She picked it up and checked the number. Fanuzzi.

  She pressed the button. “Hello?”

  Fanuzzi’s Brooklyn accent crackled in her ear. “You forgot.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s Wednesday? Shopping? The gift?”

  Miranda’s mind spun. Then it cleared. “Oh, right.”

  Parker’s gift. Their wedding anniversary. The party that Fanuzzi was throwing for them in just a few days. Jeez.

  Parker gave her a curious look.

  She turned her head away. “Uh…yeah. I’m right here with Parker. We’re having pizza on Navy Pier.”

  “In Chicago?” Fanuzzi squeaked.

  She scanned the city skyline along the shore. “Is there another one?”

  Fanuzzi let out a wheeze of exasperation. “I don’t think so. Guess we can’t postpone our shopping trip till tomorrow. When are you coming back? Wait. I know better than to ask that. You’re on a case, aren’t you?”

  Miranda grinned into the phone. “You got it.”

  “Are you going to be back by Saturday?” Fanuzzi sounded worried.

  Good question. “I’d say so.”

  If they didn’t solve the case by the weekend, Miranda was sure Parker would make arrangements to fly home on Saturday and back to Chi town on Monday. He wouldn’t miss the party their friend had been planning for them for weeks. It would break Fanuzzi’s heart. Though Miranda’s private plans for Parker in the Taj Mahal room of the mansion on Sunday might have to be postponed.

  “But what about the gift?” Fanuzzi whined.

  Miranda bit her lip. She’d forgotten about the gift again.

  She had no idea what to get Parker. He was the quintessential man who had everything. Besides right now all she wanted to give him was a kick in the ass. No, his ass was too pretty.

  Even if he was being an ass.

  She thought
a minute, glanced over at him, gave up. “Why don’t you handle that?”

  “What?” Fanuzzi screeched. “You want me to pick out your first anniversary gift? I don’t think so, Murray.”

  Miranda let out a nervous little laugh. “I’m a little busy right now.”

  “Okay, okay. I got it. You don’t have time. You can’t talk. You’re working. Are you sure you couldn’t sneak away to one of those upscale shops downtown and pick something up? You could call me for a consult while you’re there.”

  This was getting dicey. And frustrating. Miranda wasn’t going to stop in the middle of an investigation and go shopping.

  She laughed again and sang into the phone, “I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

  She could almost see Fanuzzi pressing a palm to her forehead. “All right. Okay. I got it. I’ll do my best. But don’t blame me if your wonderful hunk of a husband is sorely disappointed. Or if he wants to return the gift.”

  “That will be fine. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, I think.”

  “Gotta run.” She hung up and gave Parker a silly grin. “Last minute party details.”

  He smiled back at her. “I’m sure whatever Joan decides will be perfect.”

  Miranda caught the double meaning. Had Parker just read her mind? Had he deduced they were talking about his gift? Or was she just that transparent? Maybe she was. Maybe she was just that transparent about her suspicions of Parker’s doings. It would be just like him to see straight through her and not say a word.

  Note to self. Never go undercover.

  The waiter stopped by to drop off the check.

  “Dessert?” Parker asked.

  Miranda shook her head. “Let’s skip it. I’ve already stuffed myself. Let’s get home and hit the hay. I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

  “Good point.” Parker handed his credit card to the waiter.

  Yeah, she thought, as he finished paying and she got to her feet, feeling suddenly drained. They both had an early day, didn’t they?

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  My, my, my, this pair could cover some ground.

  Evanston, Larrabee, Navy Pier, the Art Institute. You would think they were here as tourists. He shouldn’t be watching so closely. Not that he would be caught. With these two brilliant detectives there was little chance of that. He was far too clever.