Ring Of Deception

“Meaning, morning juice, lunch, afternoon snack, late-day snack . . . ”

Luke ran a hand along the back of his neck.

“Goddamn it, Katherine . . . ”

“No bad language.”

“Sorry. Look, with all those scheduled breaks, kids will be in and out all the time.”

“I’m not going to change the way we run this place, Luke. Besides, I thought it was important to keep things looking as normal as possible. Isn’t that why you’re representing yourself as something you’re not?”

He scowled. That was an accurate description of undercover work, but Luke didn’t much like hearing it defined that way. There was something, well, unpleasant in knowing you were deliberately misleading people. People like Abby Douglas—unless she was somehow involved in the fencing operation.

His scowl deepened. Katherine mistook it as an indication he was going to argue and forged ahead.

“And when those break times occur, you will, of course, not use any dangerous tools.”

“Fine.”

“I think it might be a good idea, too, if you spoke to the children in the events room. Explained what a carpenter is, what a carpenter does . . . show them some of your tools, that sort of thing.”

“Talk to them? But I don’t know the first thing about kids.”

“They don’t know the first thing about carpenters, either. Or what it’s like to have a man in the center all day. We’re an all-female staff, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I noticed,” Luke said dryly.

“I’ll be honest. Nothing personal, but the sooner you’re done here—”

“I agree.” Luke cleared his throat. “And you can help speed me on my way.”

Katherine leaned back in her chair and tossed her pencil on the desk. “Just tell me how.”

“Doing surveillance is kind of like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle. At first, all you see are the pieces. Then, gradually—with luck and time and a little bit of skill—the pieces begin to come together.”

It sounded fascinating, but Katherine wasn’t foolish enough to let him know that.

“And?”

“Well, you know that I’m watching the jewelry exchange across the street.”

“Yes,” she said politely. “But I don’t know why. And that’s another thing. Being asked for cooperation without being told why is irritating.”

“I’m sure it is,” Luke said, just as politely, “but that’s standard procedure. What I’d like to do is get as much help as I can in finishing this case so that I can make both of us happy and disappear.”

Katherine winced. Good. Luke would have laid odds that she was a polite woman by nature. She was willing to stand up to him, but letting him see her as inhospitable took some doing. He’d counted on that.

“Detective Sloan . . . Luke. Honestly, I’m not trying to be difficult.”

“I appreciate that, Katherine.”

“It’s just that, well, the parents, my staff—these people all trust me. I hate dragging them into a police operation without them knowing I’m doing it.”

“You aren’t dragging them into anything.” Luke waited a beat. “I’m sure that virtually all the people you deal with will never need to know what I’m doing.”

“Well, that’s good, because . . . Virtually all?” Katherine narrowed her eyes. “Why the qualifier, Detective?”

“I can’t guarantee anything, that’s why. Anything is possible.”

“I really don’t follow this. My understanding was that this surveillance had nothing to do with us, that your department only wanted my cooperation because of the location of Forrester Square Day Care to the Emerald City Jewelry Exchange.”

“That’s basically correct.”

Katherine threw up her hands. “Another qualifier! Surely you don’t suspect someone here of being connected to whatever is going on across the street?” She paused and gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Just listen to me! I’m talking in riddles like you.”

“Here’s the point, Katherine. You can help me make this entire procedure move more quickly.”

“How?”

“Well, if I knew something about the people who work here . . . ” He paused. “Or about the people who send their kids here, it would be a big help.”

Katherine looked puzzled, but only for a couple of seconds. Luke could tell the minute she figured out what he meant.

“No.”

“Katherine . . . ”

“You think one of our parents or teachers is involved in something criminal.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. The answer is still the same. No.”

With a sigh, Luke eased away from the desk and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“All I want is a quick look through your files.” Untrue. He’d need more than a quick look, considering that he didn’t know what he was looking for, exactly, but then, he hadn’t expected to glimpse a parent from Forrester Square working inside the Emerald City Jewelry Exchange, either.

“Absolutely not.”

“Katherine,” Luke said pleasantly, “I can subpoena those records if I have to.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, just as pleasantly. “But if you think you can do it, by all means, Detective, go for it.”