Reading Online Novel

Tender Is The Night(28)



     



 

"I do. Why?"

"Do they do signings? Has Dillingsworth signed his books there?"

"Oh, my God, Devin, you're brilliant. Ron Dillingsworth signed at the  store four months ago when his new book, Captured by Fire, was released.  We just tied Dillingsworth to the peace sign."

He was feeling the same excitement he saw in her eyes, but he still  didn't know what the connection meant. "It could mean nothing, Kate.  It's a bookstore. He's a writer. Is it really that strong of a  connection?"

"It's better than nothing. We need to talk to him. I know you said he  puts all questions through his lawyer now, but he obviously does book  signings."

"I'll check his website." He brought up Dillingsworth's website and  clicked on the page for appearances. "He's signing copies of his book at  a fundraiser tomorrow night at Market Lane Books, which is downtown.  The bookstore, which has been around since before the 1906 earthquake,  needs funds for a massive remodel." He looked over his computer screen  at Kate, now sharing some of her excitement. "You're not going to  believe this-the fundraiser was organized by Gerilyn Connors, whose  architectural firm is in charge of the remodel of the building. They  want to preserve its historic integrity."

Kate gave him a big smile. "Can you be more optimistic now?"

"I'm getting there."

"Get there faster. We just found a new link between Dillingsworth and  Gerilyn Connors. We didn't have that before. And think about  it-Dillingsworth writes about firefighters and Brad Connors was a  firefighter. Maybe Dillingsworth used Brad for research."

"It's possible. I never put those two together."

"They weren't asked if they knew each other?"

"No," he said, thinking Dillingsworth should have been asked that  question. Or at least asked about which firefighters, if any, he had  spoken to while researching his book. As he looked at the familiar  website, he realized something else. "This signing was put on his  schedule recently, because I've been here before, and I did not see this  appearance. Even without the peace sign at the Haight-Ashbury  bookstore, the fact that Dillingsworth was going to be participating in  an event hosted by Gerilyn Connors would have gotten my attention."

"Looks like we're going to a book signing tomorrow."

"Absolutely. I just wonder how I missed this connection."

"You didn't miss it. It just showed up."

"Maybe," he said, still wondering if he'd overlooked some clue.

"No maybe about it," she said firmly. "Now we have to figure out if the  connection between these two men means anything. We haven't tied them to  Rick Baines. Unless, Dillingsworth or Connors ever went to the gym?"

He could definitely answer that question. "They did not. That was determined a long time ago."

"Okay, so they don't go to the gym. They didn't obviously know Baines.  Maybe it's a level down connection. Jenkins or one of the girls, or  someone else who knew Baines … "

He sighed. "That narrows it down."

"We'll take them one at a time." Kate sat back in her chair. "We're  making headway, Devin. We're starting to find connections that weren't  there before. Maybe they pan out; maybe they don't. But we have  something new to look at. That's a positive development."

Her smile was so warm, her eyes so caring as she tried quite obviously  to pump him up that he felt a somewhat overwhelming rush of affection  for her. It was different from the physical attraction that permeated  every breath between them. It was deeper. It felt both good and  unsettling. It was one to thing to want to sleep with her; it was  another to actually like her.

She tilted her head. "You're staring at me."

He was staring. Sometimes he thought he could look at her forever and not get bored. "Your face changes a lot," he muttered.

She raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't exactly sound like a compliment."

"It's like watching a movie. I can always tell when the good part is coming because you light up like a Christmas tree."

"Okay, so definitely not a compliment to an FBI agent who is supposed to  give a blank, neutral, non-readable expression. Special Agent Roman  must have told me a hundred times: You read them, they don't read you."

"Screw Hal and his advice. Sometimes charm and openness gets a suspect  off guard. You sneak in because they think you like them. They think you  care. That's your strength, Kate. It's only a weakness if you don't  know how to use it. But if you channel your power in the right  direction, you'll be able to get whatever you want from a person."

"I like that," she said.

"I like you," he told her, the words slipping out before he could stop them.         

     



 

Her expression jumped with his words. "We're getting off track."

"With you, that seems to be a common occurrence."

"Maybe it's time to get in the car and start driving around in the cold night air."

He laughed. "You think that will cool us off?"

"It's worth a shot. Despite your teasing, I know that you don't really want anything to happen between us."

The way his body felt right now … hard, hungry … he definitely wanted something to happen. "You're wrong about that."

"I don't mean about the sex; I mean everything else that comes with crossing that line."

"Nothing has to come with it, not if you don't want it to. Sometimes sex is just sex."

"I know it's supposed to be that simple, but it never seems to work out  that way. We're working together. We're partners. We'll do better if we  stay professional."

"Then we better get the hell out of this apartment."

She pushed back her chair and stood up. "I'm with you. But can we bring some snacks? I'm hungry again."

He laughed as he got up. "I'm going to grab a jacket, maybe an extra one  for you, while you rummage through the kitchen. Whatever you can find,  you can bring."

"Deal. And Devin," she said, as he started to move toward the bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"I like you, too."

She flushed a little at the end of her sentence and then bolted into the  kitchen, leaving him with a heart that was beating way too fast. He  couldn't remember the last time a woman had said such a simple phrase  and had it mean so much. In the past few years, his relationships-or  whatever you wanted to call them-had been about chemistry, desire, sex,  not anything more.

He moved into his bedroom, trying not to imagine a naked Kate tangled up  in his sheets, with her golden blonde hair draped over his pillows.

Just get the jackets and go, he told himself, wishing he had time for a cold shower, but the cold night air would have to do.



* * *



Had she really told Devin she liked him? Kate was still pondering the  stupidity of that reckless comment as they drove slowly down the block  in front of the Bayside Neighborhood Club. The street was quiet. Aside  from a man walking his dog, there was no one out on the block. They  pulled over in front of the house. All the lights were off. The owner  was probably asleep as it was after eleven now.

There were lights on in the house next door, and some music wafting out of a window from three buildings away.

"What do you think?" she asked Devin, focusing on the job instead of on him.

"This neighborhood would be hard to get in and out of fast. There's no  parking and I doubt the arsonist comes on foot." He put his foot on the  gas and drove down the street. "Let's take a look at Raymond Park Rec.  The location is more open, and the fact that the park sits between two  blocks, and has access from multiple streets would be more appealing to  someone trying to get in and out quickly."

"That makes sense. You're starting to think like an arsonist."

"I've tried putting myself in that person's shoes, but I'm missing the motivation. I just don't know what drives these fires."

She heard his frustration and could totally relate. "I don't think I'm  going to make arson investigation my life's work. It's an easy crime to  commit, and it's almost impossible to catch someone who can cause  massive destruction with the strike of a match. The evidence goes up in  smoke. I don't know how Emma does it without going crazy."

"I don't, either. When this case is done, I don't want to think about fire again."

She smiled at his heartfelt sincerity. "I really think you should consider going back to the Bureau when this is done."

"I burned too many bridges."

"I seriously doubt that. And if you bring home a win-which I'm confident  you're going to do with my help-you'll be welcomed back with open  arms."

"Why would I want to work for a company who closed the case on the death  of a loyal agent, even with me standing right there telling them over  and over again that they were wrong?"

She couldn't answer that. She could see why he'd lost his faith in the  agency he'd been committed to for almost a decade. "Maybe going back  will be a way for you to show the Bureau that they can't do what they  did again. You could be a shining example of never giving up on a case  when your gut tells you that the evidence is wrong."