Passion's Price

“How’d you get involved in this?”

“I rang the doorbell, Boyd let me in and his honor over there detained me. I’m grateful that I’m not in handcuffs.”

“I see you’re full of attitude. You’ve got a mouth on you, too.” Cody turned to Mike. “How’d she get past you?”

“That’s one of the things that’s bothering me, Cody. A green Jaguar cruised slowly past here three times yesterday. This morning, it came by again, slowing almost to a crawl when it passed this house, so I followed it until it turned into Route 61 and headed toward Mississippi. That took me away for about fifteen minutes. When I got back here, Ms. Cunningham was about to leave. I’m not certain that her arrival at precisely that time wasn’t planned.”

Cody rubbed his chin with his right thumb and index finger. “I see.” He walked over to Boyd. “How’s it going, man?”

“Wonderful, Cody. Darlene is a lovely woman and so pleasant.”

“I guess you or any other man would say that after weeks of only Mike and me for company.”

Cody Johnson had spent a quarter of a century in the Memphis police force. He’d worked his way up to the job of detective, which he’d held for the past six years. At fifty years of age, he was a hardened lawman, though fair and honest. He walked back to Darlene. “Detective Raines is in charge of this operation, but when it comes to dealing with criminals, I take a backseat to no man. So, if you haven’t committed a crime, be sure to maintain that record on my watch. If you do, I’ll handcuff you and take you to jail.”

“What kind of crime can I commit with you watching my every move?”

“Resisting an officer is a crime.”

“I’m a practicing attorney. Thanks for educating me.”

Mike watched the interplay between Darlene and Cody and concluded that Darlene wouldn’t last five hours in the house with Cody. She couldn’t resist being a smartass, and Cody wouldn’t tolerate it.

“I’ll go home, pack a bag and pick up some food for Boyd. I should be back here in about two and a half hours. So call Gail and tell her you’ll be home for dinner.”

“Works for me, man. I’d hate to have to arrest Ms. Cunningham, but with her mouth, she’ll be in that jail on Haley Road before it gets dark,” Cody said.

Mike walked over to Boyd. “Since I’m going to the supermarket for coffee and milk, what else do you need?

“Thanks for asking, Mike. We need bread, some more brioche, butter and…” He looked at Darlene. “What do you like to eat for breakfast?”

“I’ll eat whatever you have, but I love any kind of berries, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.”

Boyd looked at Mike.

“Okay. Okay. I get the message,” Mike said. “See you later.” He headed to the door. Then, as in an afterthought, he went back to Darlene. “Darlene, please obey Detective Johnson. I wouldn’t want you to spend a night in a Shelby County jail. But if he takes you there, I’ll know you deserved it.”

He didn’t feel any better for having warned her again, since he knew that being a smartmouth was as much a part of her as breathing. He knew he’d better get back there in a hurry.

He could have released her at once, and perhaps he should have, because he didn’t believe she knew anything about the case involving Boyd. But she went there seeking information—according to her—and hadn’t told him what she was looking for or why. He’d acted according to the law, and he wouldn’t allow his physical attraction to her to lure him into doubting his professional judgment.

He put his key into the door of his apartment, but the door opened before he could open it. “Mr. Raines, I didn’t know you’d be here this evening,” Jessie, his housekeeper, said. “This whole place is torn up. The carpets, bedding and cushions have to be aired out and cleaned every so often. Ain’t no place for you to sit down.”

He patted her shoulder. “Not to worry. I’m on stakeout tonight and for how long I don’t know, maybe two nights, maybe a month.”

She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him. “You be careful now. You hear?”

“I’ll do that, Jessie. What kind of coffee do you buy for me?”

“Any deep-roasted Columbian coffee is good.” She wrote down the brand that she bought and handed him the note. “I think this is the best around here.”

“Thanks.” He went to his room, packed what he’d need for three days and came back to the den, where Jessie was polishing furniture. “You have my private number in case you need me. I’ll be in touch.”

“Yes, sir. I sure hope it’s air-conditioned where you gonna be.”

“I’ll be comfortable. See you.” After he got behind the wheel of his silvery gray SUV, he wished he’d remembered to ask Jessie which supermarket she usually went to. He stopped at the first big supermarket he saw, bought the items on his list along with two six-packs of beer, two bags of Cajun-style corn chips and a bag of his favorite candy bars.

“If I’m gonna be held hostage by temptation, I may as well have something to divert my attention,” he said aloud while storing his purchases in the trunk of his car.

“That was pretty fast,” Cody said when Mike returned after less than two hours.

“Stay for a cup of coffee, Cody. Mike makes wonderful coffee,” Boyd said. He looked at Mike. “I hope you remembered what Darlene likes for breakfast.”

He didn’t like being put on the spot in Cody’s presence, so he shrugged to give the appearance of disinterest. “I bought what you asked me to buy.”

“Good,” Boyd said. “Will you make us some coffee?”

Mike wondered, not for the first time, if Boyd was really mentally challenged or very shrewd. He could tell Boyd to make the coffee himself, but he’d hate the taste of it. “Sure. As soon as I put this stuff away,” he said. He quickly stored his stuff in one of the spare bedrooms, then made the coffee. Boyd relieved him of the job of serving it.

“If I have to have police protection, I hope Mike stays with me, because he is such a kind and considerate gentleman,” Boyd said to Darlene.

Cody cleared his throat. “Yeah, he is that, provided you don’t break the law or otherwise get on the wrong side of him.”

Mike knew Darlene was deliberately refusing to look at him. What had happened to her rambunctious behavior? Was this show purely for Cody’s benefit? Mike wondered if Darlene the hellion would reappear the moment his partner walked out the door.

“This is really good coffee,” Darlene said to Mike, interrupting his thoughts.

“Thanks. All I did was put coffee in the filter, put it over a coffeepot and pour boiling water over it. No sweat involved.”

“It’s good,” she said, looking at Boyd.

Just then, Cody emptied his cup and stood. “Good stuff, man. If you need me, you have my number.”

“Is he coming back?” Darlene asked Mike.

“Not tonight. I’ll be here tonight.” He looked at Boyd. “We’ve decided to stay inside for a while, instead of outside in the car. If the people who are after you don’t see one of us sitting out there, they may decide to show their hand.

“Nothing’s stopping them now. They could walk in just as Darlene did,” Boyd responded. “By the way, won’t they see your car out there? They’ll know you’re still here, won’t they?”

“I changed cars. They won’t recognize this one.” He looked at his watch. “It’s six twenty-five. Why don’t we watch the evening news?”

“When do we eat dinner?” Darlene asked them. “I’m getting hungry.”

“I guess you are,” Mike retorted. “You barely touched that stuff you ordered for lunch. Are you on a diet?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“And you’re not taking any medicine, either?” When she shook her head, he became concerned. “I suspected that.” He softened his voice so as not to annoy her. “You seem subdued, and I’m not sure I like that. You’re a fighter. What happened while I was gone?”