Christmas Male(39)
“Got it figured out yet?”
Whirling, Fiona absorbed a sharp jolt of pleasure as D.C. filled the opening of the gate, stepped through it, then used his cane to shut it behind him. In spite of his injury, he moved gracefully and efficiently across the uneven ground.
He had the collar of his coat turned up against the chill. The dark hair and dark clothes made a striking contrast against the snow-covered ground.
“You’re late,” Fiona said.
He hefted the paper bag he carried in his hand. “I come bearing gifts. But first, tell me what you’re thinking.”
She turned back to the sculpture. “I’m still wondering why this particular place. If she was running away, I guess this is one of the few pieces of art in here that would provide good cover.”
Folding her arms across her chest, she began to tap her fingers on her arm. “But its size also makes it easy to find. Perhaps she was supposed to meet someone and hand off the diamond.”
“Good points. Her assailant could have been waiting for her. I didn’t see him enter. He was just suddenly there.”
“If she was running away, why not get closer to the skaters or to the café? There’s safety in numbers.”
“But she would have been more easily seen. And in that hat and scarf, she’d be recognizable.” D.C. frowned as he scanned the fence and line of trees that ran behind the pyramid. “Maybe the man who attacked her saw her dash in here and used a different entrance. The trees provided cover and gave him an opportunity to sneak up on her.”
Fiona frowned. “And if it was a planned rendezvous spot and she was supposed to hand off the diamond, why did he attack her?”
“Because she’d pulled a double cross and was running away? Or because she was trying to stop the robbery?”
Fiona turned her frown on him. “That’s certainly the scenario that your general would like.”
“Just trying to keep my mind open to all the possibilities.”
“I checked with the hospital. There’s no change in her condition, but a young man identifying himself as her cousin visited Amanda at the hospital.”
D.C. smiled at her. “So now we can add Billy Franks to our to-do list.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
When she started past him, D.C. stepped into her path. She came up hard against him and his free arm came around her. “Whoa. Not so fast.”
She glanced up at him, more aware than she wanted to be of how hard his body was and how much she wanted to stay pressed against it. She eased herself away. “If you want to work with me, you have to keep up.”
He rattled the bag he was carrying. “You didn’t have lunch on your to-do list, so I figured we could take a break and have a winter picnic.” He nudged her to a nearby bench.
“A winter picnic?”
“Yeah. We used to have them all the time when I was a kid. After my dad died, my mom tried to create special family events on the weekends. Sometimes, it would involve going to the movies. In the summer we’d go fishing or spend a day at the beach. And in the winter, we’d pick a special destination like the zoo or we’d end up here at the National Mall. She’d pack sandwiches and thermoses of hot chocolate. One time we came, it was just a few days before Christmas.”
Fiona could picture it clearly in her mind. The laughter, the cold. “It sounds like fun.”
He met her eyes. “It was. That’s why I thought you might enjoy it. We’ve taken a pretty fast trip, Fiona. We haven’t even had a date.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t mind the speed, and I don’t need a date.”
“Maybe I do.”
Fiona wasn’t sure what to say to that. He set the bag down between them and began unpacking. Paper-wrapped hamburgers, packets of French fries. Her eyes widened at the sheer amount of the food.
“Don’t you ever stop eating?”
“It’s been hours since those doughnuts.” He pulled a bottle of water and a packet of aspirin out of the bag. “First things first. This is step one in Dr. Campbell’s cure for the common headache.”
“I’m fine.”
“Liar. You’re as frustrated as I am that we’re not making more progress, not to mention the fact that the evidence is piling up against Private Hemmings.”
Since she couldn’t argue with that, she took the packet, ripped it open and downed the pills.
“Now for the protein. That’s step number two.”
Before she could object, she found herself holding a hamburger. “I usually don’t eat—”
“Lunch or much breakfast, either. But I have to keep up my strength, and it would be rude for me to eat alone. Besides, I’ll just keep nagging you.” He picked up a packet of French fries and offered it to her.