Double Play (Bishop's Run Series Book 2) Page 11

  "Hey Tess, good to see you, glad you're back," Whyte said, giving her a quick hug.

  "Good morning, Penny," Fowler smiled.

  "Hi, Joe, Whyte," Penny grinned back.

  "These are the case files we're currently working on," Whyte gestured to a stack on Tess's desk, "Read through them and we'll bring you up to speed with the recent findings."

  Tess nodded.

  She spent her morning in HR verifying all of her employment info, signing forms and watching the prerequisite orientation training videos, then headed over to the motor pool.

  The officer in charge pulled her assigned vehicle up to the office and she had to laugh.

  It was her old Crown Vic. Granted, it had been cleaned and shined while it was in the pool but, to Tess, it was home, and she couldn't resist taking it out for a test drive, punching the gas after passing the hospital on Christmas Road, easily hitting eighty without a shake or a shimmy. The return trip took her past the softball stadium and she looked in through the outfield fence as she passed by, remembered the last time she'd been there, when she'd pulled Bishop out of her game and took her into hiding, the fear she'd felt, that she was too late to save her.

  A year later, Tess had saved herself, had found her way back home, but she was afraid that the life she remembered no longer existed.

  53

  Tess was working through the files, dividing them into stacks related to the various crimes. Some of the names were familiar, these were repeat offenders with long histories of criminal charges and convictions, but some were new to her and she studied those files a little more closely. One of the folders was different from the usual Tenley PD crime file, it was a surveillance log containing notes and pictures.

  She flipped through the photos and came to a stop at one in particular. It was a white thirty-foot truck, no distinguishing markings, but she was sure she'd seen it before. She spread the rest of the file photos out on her desk and looked at them in an array.

  She was certain she was looking at the same truck and that she'd seen two of the men next to it.

  In Hatch's files.

  "Whyte," she called across the room, "where did this file come from?"

  He walked over and took a look at the pictures scattered across her desk. "Oh, yeah, Baxter put that together, it's Charlie Pierce's store. She thought something shady was going on related to those damn storage shed break-ins, that Charlie had something to do with them. She and Penny did the work, but Joe and I took a look around the store and couldn't find anything unusual, no property that matched the thefts, nothing out of the ordinary for a junk dealer. Probably should've pitched the file."

  Tess leaned over the desk, her brow furrowed. This wasn't about storage shed break-ins, not by a long shot.

  "I'm going to forward some of these to a friend I met in Richmond, she's with the DEA," she said as she took out her phone and started taking snaps of the photos that had caught her eye. "I think she needs to see this."

  "The DEA?" Whyte wondered what Tess had seen that he and Fowler hadn't, but she obviously felt like she was on to something. "Well, then, let us know if anything comes of it."

  Tess tapped a message into her phone: Would any of this interest you?

  She attached the photos and sent them off to Hatch.

  54

  Hatch was staring at her phone, a puzzled look on her face.

  "What's the matter?" Kane asked.

  "Uhm, I just got a text from Tess. And I'm a little...surprised by it."

  "Why?"

  "Well, it's got pics attached, and I'm...I didn't think she'd...be the type...that would..."

  "Send pics?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, hey--surprise! C'mon, open your presents!"

  "What are you so excited about, you're not gonna see them."

  "I know, but I can still watch you open 'em."

  "Geez, Kane, you're always such a good guy, then you've gotta go and ruin it."

  Kane laughed. "Go ahead, Romeo, open 'em up."

  Hatch let out a breath and tapped the screen. Kane watched, a smirk on his face.

  "Whoa!" Hatch jumped up.

  "Damn, they that good?"

  "Shut up, Kane, and look at this."

  Kane turned away. "Hey, man, what are you doin'? I mean, she's good-lookin' and all, but...c'mon! I don't think she'd appreciate..."

  "Kane! Focus! Look at this!"

  Kane slowly turned and lifted his eyes to Hatch's phone screen. "Holy shit!" he said as he jumped up from his chair. "Where the hell did she get that? That's Nichols! Right?"

  "I think so." Hatch thumbed through the remaining photos. "Yeah, definitely. This one," she said as she enlarged it for a closer look, Kane peering over her shoulder.

  Kane nodded in agreement. "Well, where is he? Where is she?"

  "She's in Tenley, Virginia. She didn't tell me where the photos came from, just wanted to know if I was interested."

  "Well, tell her 'Hell, yeah,' you're interested! I'll start packing."

  55

  "Penny, what can you tell me about this file?" Tess held up the surveillance log.

  "What do you want to know?"

  "What was Bishop looking for? Anything in particular?"

  "She said she thought Charlie was hiding something, that he kinda creeped her out, but that she couldn't put her finger on it. We scoped him out, watched his building for about six, eight weeks, not every night, but when we had time. We watched the men and the trucks going in and out, but we couldn't see what they were loading or unloading because they pulled them into that big garage at the back of his building. It was always just after the store closed, and it was the same trucks, same guys. Whatever it was, it only took about thirty minutes to unload. Check the logs, it's in there."

  Tess scanned the notes and reviewed the pictures again. There was something going on even though the activity was only odd at best, but the addition of the two men in the pictures made her more suspicious.

  Tess's phone buzzed. She couldn't help but smile as the ID lit up her screen. "Hi, Hatch."

  "Hi, Tess. So, you haven't been home five minutes and you're already making trouble for the bad guys."

  Tess laughed. "You're interested, then?"

  "Oh, yeah, definitely. Where did you get those pictures?"

  Tess started with Bishop's feelings of discomfort when meeting Charlie, how she and Penny had surveilled his business, ending with her forwarding the pictures to Hatch.

  "Girl, I tell ya, you've got a good eye, one of the men is Darren Nichols, we'd been looking for him for the last four months. He vanished, fell off the radar, the team assigned to him got their asses crawled for it. They were tailing him east from Richmond and he just disappeared off the highway. The team figured he'd taken an exit, they'd been hanging back, so they didn't know which one, or which way he went when he did. They turned around and sat on his digs in Richmond, but he never came back."

  "Well," Tess replied, "it looks like he's here, or he comes into town at regular intervals. The logs may give you a timeline of sorts, but I suspect that if you wait long enough, he'll turn up."

  "Logs?"

  "Bishop kept a surveillance log. You've got a whole file."

  "And this all started because Bishop thought there was something hinky about that Charlie guy?"

  "Pretty much."

  "Damn. Bishop's got good instincts."

  Tess knew that Bishop was a good cop, but hearing Hatch say that made her proud. "Yes, she does," she agreed.

  "Well, Kane's packing, we're heading in your direction, should be there by tonight. I'll give you a call when we get into town."

  "Okay, Hatch, see you soon."

  "See ya, Tess."

  Tess clicked off and looked up, caught Penny looking at her. "What?"

  "So...what's all that about?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Who's this 'Hatch' person?"

  "I met her in Richmond, she's with the DEA, used to work for the Ric
hmond PD. My partner trained her. She was in town tracking some drug runners from up north when we met."

  "Hm."

  "Hm, what?"

  "Nothing."

  Tess turned away, ending the conversation there, but she was pretty sure Penny had more to say.

  56

  Tess's phone had buzzed about seven o'clock that night. She left Bishop on the couch to take the call in the kitchen.

  "Hi, Hatch."

  "Hi, Tess. We're in Tenley, we've checked into Dunn's Motor Court. Now, I'm not one to complain, Tess, but--have you ever been in Dunn's?"

  Tess chuckled. "Only to investigate robberies, assaults, and murders."

  Hatch laughed. "Exactly. Kane said he's sleeping with his gun under his pillow. Are there any other hotels or motels in town, or is this as good as it gets?"

  "Sorry, Hatch, that's actually the cream of the crop right now, the other hotel is closed for major water and sewer renovations."

  "Geez. Do you know what a pain in the ass Kane is when he doesn't get enough sleep? Turns into a cranky baby. I'll be divorcing him if this takes longer than a week. I will say, though, that Johnson's Diner makes a mean pot roast, it's delicious. I should've ordered two servings."

  Tess laughed. "Don't hurt him, Hatch. Yeah, Johnson's is the place to go for good food anytime. Good coffee, too. Order doubles on your breakfast, you won't be sorry."

  "Got it. Say, speaking of breakfast, how about you meet us at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, we could have a bite to eat, then I could follow you to the police department. I've got to meet with your captain, let him know we're in town, what we're doing, you know, common courtesy and all that."

  "Sure, Hatch, I could do that. Eight o'clock. I'll see you then."

  "See ya, Tess."

  Tapping off the call, Tess found herself frowning a bit.

  Hatch was here.

  In Tenley.

  And she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

  57

  Penny met Jacks for supper at Johnson's. It was becoming a habit, eating supper together, neither of them involved with anyone steady at this particular point in time, and neither wanting to eat alone in front of the TV.

  Besides, they'd always ridden shotgun for each other, in good or hard times.

  "I'm just sayin', Penny, it'd be something fun to do this summer." Jacks squirted more ketchup on the remaining fries on her plate. "And there's no commitment, you just show up and play. C'mon, you know everyone who's gonna be there, it'll be a blast."

  "I don't know, Jacks, I'm pretty busy right now, I don't know if I'll have time." She poured creamer into her coffee and stirred it, looking across the diner at the woman who'd caught her eye when she'd first sat down in the booth, a soft, knowing smile on her lips as the woman looked back at her.

  "Penny, you can't work every hour of every day, and you know it. So c'mon and have some fun. It's summer ball! Don't you remember how we wished for this, to keep playing through the summer?"

  "Yeah, Jacks, I remember. I'll think about it."

  Jacks turned and followed Penny's gaze to see who'd been distracting her, holding her attention all through dinner. The woman with tousled dark-blond hair, her athletic stature accentuated by a form-fitting T-shirt and well-worn jeans was relaxed, her demeanor easy, talking on her phone as she kept her eyes on Penny.

  Jacks looked back at Penny, who was still eyeing the woman.

  "Penny. She's with a guy."

  "Penny."

  "Penny! Snap out of it, girl, they could be on a date."

  "Oh, please, Jacks, she's with him but not with him, you know? I can tell. Hell, you can tell. She bats for our team." Penny was sizing up the situation. "And I can't help it, she is outstanding," she whispered.

  "Well, damn, girl, fine, go get her number. Work your magic."

  "I've never seen her before, I don't think she's from around here. I'd remember."

  "Then get her room number and have a night of hot, sweaty sex with a beautiful stranger."

  "I can't."

  "You can't. You can't. Since-the-hell when?"

  "I just...I swore that I wasn't going to pick up women anymore."

  Jacks laughed at that. Penny looked across the table at her, the determination on her face. Jacks laughed even harder when her look suddenly changed to one of resignation.

  "Omigod, you're right, who am I kidding? This is the very last one, I swear." Penny stood up and threw a couple of bills on the table. "This should cover it for both of us, Jacks, leave Marge a good tip. I'll see you later."

  With that, Penny walked over to the stranger's table, nodded to the man, and then smiled as she said to the woman, "If you're coming with me, I'm leaving." And she headed for the exit.

  Jacks had switched seats and taken Penny's, was watching as Penny stopped at the stranger's table then walked out of the diner. The woman looked across the table at her dinner partner, saying something Jacks could not make out but took as a "see ya," because she got up from the table and followed Penny outside.

  "Damn," Jacks whispered, grinning and shaking her head as she drank Penny's coffee.

  Penny smiled to herself as she leaned against her car, taking in the woman crossing the parking lot, the self-assured saunter as she made her way towards Penny giving her the best indication of what kind of time they were going to have.

  It was going to be hot.

  She was hot. Geezus. Penny's breathing quickened just watching her move.

  When she reached her, the woman looked down, smiling. "Hey."

  "Hello." Penny looked up into the woman's light brown eyes, noted the smirk on her lips. "You can ride with me and I can bring you back here in the morning or you can follow me in your own vehicle. It's up to you."

  The woman nodded, walked around Penny's car and opened the passenger door. Penny smiled as they got in, was still smiling as she turned out onto the highway, headed for home.

  58

  Standing in Penny's kitchen, there was no talking as she poured two tequila shots, taking the stranger's wrist and licking it, then pouring on the salt, offering her own to do the same, shooting the tequila, then sucking on the lime, both of them never taking their eyes off the other while they went through the motions.

  After the second shot, the stranger leaned down and pulled Penny to her, slowly licked just below her ear, her hot breath teasing as her mouth closed down on her neck.

  "Wait. Wait." Penny stopped and straight-armed the stranger, her hand against the woman's chest as she backed away from her. "What the hell? Are you armed?" She reached for the back of her own waistband, pulled her Walther P22, holding it down and away from the woman but at the ready.

  "Easy, babe, it's okay." The stranger's eyes were taking in the scene as she took a step back, her arms away from her body, palms out. She slowly reached around and unholstered her Glock, bringing it to her side and pointing it down and outward, copying Penny's stance.

  Penny smiled. "Is that a Glock 17?" She nodded appreciatively.

  "Yeah. Want to tell me why you have a gun?"

  "I believe in protecting myself. I mean, I'm a woman, I live alone. On a lake. You?"

  "Same. Well, except for the lake part. But I do pick up strange women in restaurants."

  They stared at each other for a few seconds, then they both burst out laughing as they holstered their weapons and placed them on the counter.

  "Just where did you come from," Penny remarked as she wrapped her arms around the stranger's shoulders, the woman's mouth meeting hers.

  Long, slow, tequila-scented kisses followed, tasting of salt and lime, the stranger taking Penny over, unbuttoning her blouse and unhooking her bra, stripping her topless, sighing as she took in Penny's full round breasts. She leaned down and took one in her mouth, pulling Penny up against her as Penny moaned aloud at the sensation.

  Penny's slacks were unfastened and unzipped, pushed down as the stranger found her way between her legs, the hot wetness inviting her in. Penny move
d under her fingers as her breasts were sucked and licked, first one, then the other. She was pushed against the wall of the trailer, was driven to a frenzy, orgasms crashing, the beautiful stranger leaving her gasping and whimpering.

  Held in place, Penny's hands were under the stranger's T-shirt, fingers brushing lightly over her breasts, teasing her nipples, then sliding into the waistband of her jeans, nails caressing the skin over her lower back as Penny pushed against her center, feeling her heat.

  "C'mon." Penny took her by the wrist and led her down the hallway to her bedroom until they were standing by her bed. She pulled back the covers, then turned to the stranger and unbuttoned her jeans, pushed the woman on to the bed as she pulled off her shoes and pants. She ran her hands over hard, muscled thighs, teasing as she passed over the small patch of hair between them.

  She shed the rest of her clothes, then pulled off the stranger's T-shirt, marvelling at the woman's build--it was flawless and Penny found herself shaking her head at the perfection of it.

  "You are gorgeous," Penny whispered.

  "So are you," the woman replied, her eyes traveling appreciatively over Penny's nude body.

  And so it was with pure delight when Penny made her way down the woman's torso, leaving a trail of kisses before she went down on her, burying her head between her legs.

  In turn, the woman took her time with Penny, teasing her the way a bear plays with its food, obviously enjoying Penny's responses to her mouth and hands, growls of pleasure rumbling in her throat. She had Penny gasping and writhing underneath her, taking her over and holding her tight against her every time she came.

  It was well after one o'clock when they called a reluctant truce, both exhausted, thirsty, and in need of showers and sleep.

  Penny laid in the dark, wrapped in the woman's arms, thinking that yes, maybe she had broken the promise she'd made to herself, but this woman was a fitting end to her long run of seductions.