Deceiving Derek by Cindy Procter-King Page B

deserved his
attention and protection as much as any other Rosewood citizen.
Even if he wasn’t technically on-duty.
    “Just a minute,” he told her. He got up and
strode to the counter. “Harding. I need a ride-along. You
available?”
    “Sorry.” The guy plunked on his hat. “Just
got a call.”
    Biggs backed away, hands raised. “I need to
write a report.”
    Derek nodded. Typical .
    He glanced back at Lacey. She stood at his
desk, clenching the shopping bag and nibbling her lip.
    He drew in a breath. Okay, then. He’d poke
around her design studio, call in the crime scene techs if
necessary. Volunteer an hour of his time toward her peace of mind,
tops.
    He motioned her over. “Not to worry, Miss
DeMarco. I’d be happy to take a look.”
     
    ~*~
     
    Lacey DeMarco shot a sideways glance to the
handsome plainclothes detective sitting behind the wheel of the
beige compact car. Exhilaration raced through her as he maneuvered
the vehicle through Rosewood’s twilight-hued streets.
    She’d done it! She’d really done it! When
Alicia had read out the most challenging item on the scavenger hunt
list—one policeman—every guest at Tanya’s bachelorette party had
groaned. Except for Lacey. Thanks to her new friend Janie
McAllister’s devious skullduggery, Lacey would drag this sexy cop
to the festivities and win the scavenger hunt.
    Yee-haw! Staid Lacey DeMarco had lived her last
days. Go-for-the-gusto Lacey had been born!
    An aggravating barb of guilt stabbed her.
Shifting on her seat, she angled another glance to the detective,
who shared his sister Janie’s ash-blond hair and stormy-ocean gray
eyes.
    Okay, maybe it wasn’t entirely kosher that
Janie had peeked at Alicia’s scavenger hunt list a few hours ago
while Alicia, Janie, and Lacey had decorated for the party. Nor was
it entirely acceptable that Janie had informed Lacey where and when
to locate her brother, who, Janie had said, wouldn’t cooperate if
he suspected Lacey’s visit to the police station was a lark. And
Lacey knew that her heads-up on the scavenger hunt items wasn’t
fair to the other party guests. They were probably scouring toy
stores for cop dolls this very minute. However, Janie had
volunteered to assist Lacey on her quest to liven up her life, and
what could be livelier than finagling a hottie cop to a funky
bridal shower?
    When it came to learning how to break out of
her shell, Lacey needed all the help she could get. She’d made
great strides lately, though. Tonight was her crowning
achievement.
    “Turn right at the next corner,” she
instructed.
    The detective followed her directions. The
car slowed as they approached a red light.
    “When did you notice your designs were
missing?” he asked in a deep voice that rolled over her like a warm
wave.
    She smoothed her hands over the skirt of her
daring new dress and smiled. Her dream to market her lingerie
designs had come in handy. She’d fabricated the spiel about her
mother and conjured the poorly named siblings, but her plans for
Lacey’s Little Underthings were genuine. Her new image would boost
her confidence for her upcoming meeting with a group of
trend-setting Seattle investors.
    “I realized something fishy was going on
about ten days ago,” she answered honestly. Her friend, Alicia—the
hostess for the party—lived across the hall. Lately, whenever
Alicia had dropped in for girl talk, her ancient dachshund in tow,
several of Lacey’s lingerie samples had gone missing.
    It had taken Lacey forever to solve the
mystery. For a while, she’d remained convinced somebody was stealing
her samples...until she’d discovered them stashed in the pile of
discarded fabrics on which Spazz loved to nap. She’d donated the
samples to Alicia—after a thorough washing. Spazz, much to his
whining displeasure, was no longer permitted access to the tiny
second bedroom Lacey used for her studio.
    “Do you have any idea who the thief might
be?” Derek asked as the traffic light