busy, on the run a lot.”
“Are you in California? Jimmy mentioned a lake. I thought maybe it was Tahoe.”
“You know, I love your voice. It tells me something about you. I already know from Jimmy that you’re pretty and tall with long dark hair. I want to find out a lot more about what you’re like on the inside when we talk again. Then, when we meet, it won’t feel so much like we’restrangers.”
Sutter scribbled “when.”
“Sure.” Allie fought to still the tremor in her voice. “Any idea when you expect to be in the city?”
“Can’t say for sure. First chance I’m able to get away.”
She glanced at Sutter who made the kind of motion with one hand that directed her to stretch out the conversation.
“The semifinals are looming. Another week or so, and I’ll be really tied down here. I might not even have time to answer the phone.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll work it out. Right now I have to run. Catch you later.”
The line went dead.
Chapter Ten
Sutter pulled out his cell, dialed and said, “Anything?”
A few moments later, he pocketed the phone. “They’re using throwaways.”
“Throwaways?”
“They buy a prepaid calling card good for so many minutes, load the card into a phone and use up the time they paid for. That way it’s impossible to trace the call. Our friend Dave has thought of just about everything.”
So now he was our friend, like Sutter had issued her the much sought-after Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
A weird high-pitched sound came from Allie’s phone, and an electronic voice said to hang up and try dialing again. Sutter took the instrument from her and punched a button, killing the voice. He placed the phone on the sewing machine.
“Hey, are you all right?” He moved closer to her.
She nodded, although she was as miserable as if she’d just slogged down twenty miles of dirt road in a hurricane.
He touched her shoulder. “You did really well. Don’t let him disturb you. Remember, I’ll always be nearby. We’re a team now.”
He looked into her eyes. Something in his signaled a change of attitude. She supposed it had something to do with her cooperation in following his prompts. She couldn’t decide what was more disconcerting: a conversation with Dave or being touched by her new teammate, Detective Sutter.
He gently squeezed her shoulder. The warmth from his palm seeped through her T-shirt. He had large hands but not Popeye size, just one of the things that either attracted her to a man or made her steer clear. Long fingers and a rock-solid palm hooked her most every time. Small hands as well as a narrow slit of a mouth turned her off. Sutter would never have to worry about either.
Finally, he stepped back. Then he picked up the straight pins from the floor and gave them to her. She sunk them into a pin cushion.
“I guess you want to get back to work. You should. Maybe it will take your mind off Dave.”
Allie groaned. Every muscle in her body was as tight as a clenched fist. Her fingers were too stiff to manipulate scissors. The slightest misplaced cut could ruin an entire garment. At this stage, any serious misstep would torpedo her chance of advancing to the final leg of the competition. There was no time to order new fabric and replace an outfit. The semifinals were in less than two weeks.
“How about coming upstairs for a while?” he said. “You like Coke? I was just about to take a short break. You should, too.”
She shook her head. “I’m too tense. I need to go for a run. It’s the only way I can loosen up.”
“Not a good idea.”
“Besides this… thing with Dave, I have a ton of anxiety over the competition. The outcome can affect the rest of my life. Running clears my head, and right now it feels like someone lit a firecracker inside my brain.”
His face set in a thoughtful expression, as if he were mulling a dozen reasons why he needed to enforce the no-leaving-the-house rule.
“You’ll be right there
“Are you in California? Jimmy mentioned a lake. I thought maybe it was Tahoe.”
“You know, I love your voice. It tells me something about you. I already know from Jimmy that you’re pretty and tall with long dark hair. I want to find out a lot more about what you’re like on the inside when we talk again. Then, when we meet, it won’t feel so much like we’restrangers.”
Sutter scribbled “when.”
“Sure.” Allie fought to still the tremor in her voice. “Any idea when you expect to be in the city?”
“Can’t say for sure. First chance I’m able to get away.”
She glanced at Sutter who made the kind of motion with one hand that directed her to stretch out the conversation.
“The semifinals are looming. Another week or so, and I’ll be really tied down here. I might not even have time to answer the phone.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll work it out. Right now I have to run. Catch you later.”
The line went dead.
Chapter Ten
Sutter pulled out his cell, dialed and said, “Anything?”
A few moments later, he pocketed the phone. “They’re using throwaways.”
“Throwaways?”
“They buy a prepaid calling card good for so many minutes, load the card into a phone and use up the time they paid for. That way it’s impossible to trace the call. Our friend Dave has thought of just about everything.”
So now he was our friend, like Sutter had issued her the much sought-after Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
A weird high-pitched sound came from Allie’s phone, and an electronic voice said to hang up and try dialing again. Sutter took the instrument from her and punched a button, killing the voice. He placed the phone on the sewing machine.
“Hey, are you all right?” He moved closer to her.
She nodded, although she was as miserable as if she’d just slogged down twenty miles of dirt road in a hurricane.
He touched her shoulder. “You did really well. Don’t let him disturb you. Remember, I’ll always be nearby. We’re a team now.”
He looked into her eyes. Something in his signaled a change of attitude. She supposed it had something to do with her cooperation in following his prompts. She couldn’t decide what was more disconcerting: a conversation with Dave or being touched by her new teammate, Detective Sutter.
He gently squeezed her shoulder. The warmth from his palm seeped through her T-shirt. He had large hands but not Popeye size, just one of the things that either attracted her to a man or made her steer clear. Long fingers and a rock-solid palm hooked her most every time. Small hands as well as a narrow slit of a mouth turned her off. Sutter would never have to worry about either.
Finally, he stepped back. Then he picked up the straight pins from the floor and gave them to her. She sunk them into a pin cushion.
“I guess you want to get back to work. You should. Maybe it will take your mind off Dave.”
Allie groaned. Every muscle in her body was as tight as a clenched fist. Her fingers were too stiff to manipulate scissors. The slightest misplaced cut could ruin an entire garment. At this stage, any serious misstep would torpedo her chance of advancing to the final leg of the competition. There was no time to order new fabric and replace an outfit. The semifinals were in less than two weeks.
“How about coming upstairs for a while?” he said. “You like Coke? I was just about to take a short break. You should, too.”
She shook her head. “I’m too tense. I need to go for a run. It’s the only way I can loosen up.”
“Not a good idea.”
“Besides this… thing with Dave, I have a ton of anxiety over the competition. The outcome can affect the rest of my life. Running clears my head, and right now it feels like someone lit a firecracker inside my brain.”
His face set in a thoughtful expression, as if he were mulling a dozen reasons why he needed to enforce the no-leaving-the-house rule.
“You’ll be right there
Similar Books
