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His chuckle came from behind her, making her smile. Neither of them was very chatty with Chambers, but at least she’d lifted his spirits.
“Heading out to the auto mall?” Brandy asked as Eloise passed her desk.
“Yes. You, too?”
“I am,” she said, gathering her equipment.
“Want to ride together?”
“Sounds good.”
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the dealership. A patrolman stood by the front door of the glass-enclosed showroom, speaking to an agitated middle-aged man.
“Mr. Parson?” Brandy guessed as they walked his way.
“Looks like him.” The dealership had two major billboards on the highway just outside town, prominently featuring the owner.
The patrolman noticed them and excused himself.
“Hi, Officer Stevens,” Eloise greeted him.
“Archer. Cummings.” He nodded in their direction. “Got the call when Mr. Parson arrived this morning. Two cars in the lot were stolen.” He pointed to his left. “The perps used bolt cutters to breach the perimeter fence and gain access to the property. Focused on taking two newly delivered cars.”
“I’ll go talk to the owner,” Eloise said, then to Brandy, “You can get started.”
“Follow me to the location,” the officer said.
Concentrating on the task at hand, Eloise went inside the bright, shiny showroom. Noticed the pervading scent of rubber and oil mixed with air freshener. Four cars were featured: two sporty models she couldn’t name, an SUV and a four-door sedan. New models. All high-end.
“Mr. Parson,” she said when the owner approached her. “I’m Detective Archer.”
“These car thefts are getting out of hand. This is the second time in six months.”
“I understand your frustration. Believe me, we’re concerned about the problem.”
He ran a hand over the sparse hair on his nearly bald head. “The cars were just delivered yesterday. I didn’t even have time to get them on the showroom floor. It’s like someone knew where the new arrivals were parked.”
“Do you have security camera footage covering the entire lot?”
“Yes. Over here.”
Parson muttered under his breath while leading her to an office on the back side of the showroom. A young woman, twentysomething, Eloise surmised, rushed to his side. “Mr. Parson, I have the insurance company on the line.”
“Give me a minute, Stacy.” He glanced at Eloise. “My office manager.”
She nodded. Once in the room complete with security screens covering different angles of the property, and what smelled like a greasy breakfast sandwich and coffee, Mr. Parson introduced her to Jerry, a security guard, and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Jerry sat back, the chair protesting under his girth. Crumpling up the food wrapper, he tossed it across the room to the trash can, missing his mark. Unconcerned, he clicked a mouse stationed beside his computer keyboard. “Got what ya need right here.”
“Did you go through the footage from last night?”
“Yep.”
“Can you show me where the stolen cars were located?”
“Sure, but you won’t see much. Was like the guys knew where the cameras were mounted. Made sure to face the opposite direction.”
He pulled up the footage in question. Sure enough, two people—young men, she thought—appeared on screen, their faces obscured by hoodies. One held a device in his hands, most likely a wireless code grabber that intercepted signals sent by remote keyless entry devices. Recording the code prior to trespassing on the property, it was then used to unlock the car doors. Once they’d cleared that hurdle, the vehicles started, and soon they were speeding away. As they moved into darkness, the image grew grainy, but she noticed a bright white slash on the back of one of the jackets.
Jerry pointed to another screen. “The gate barring entrance to the lot after-hours was tampered with and moved.”
Explained the easy getaway.
“The main question is, how did they get the key codes? From the office?” Eloise wondered out loud.
“Impossible. Mr. Parson has always been careful with the keys, but after the last theft, he’s even more diligent. I personally see that the keys are stored so that no one can hack ’em.”
Hmm. Obviously someone had. Here or elsewhere?
Eloise asked a few more questions and made notes. Arranged to get a copy of the video sent to the department. This motive didn’t follow the thefts they’d been experiencing with joyriding kids. It amazed her how often owners left a vehicle running to dash inside a store or business or leave an unlocked car in the driveway with the key left in the console. Ripe picking for a kid looking to car-hop. Not the case here. This was deliberate, a well-planned get-in-get-out before the authorities arrive.
She asked a few more questions, then went back to the dealership owner, who had returned to the showroom floor, talking in urgent tones to a salesman.
“Anything else you can tell me, Mr. Parson?”
“Only that somehow these thugs knew I had a delivery scheduled.”
“Are new vehicles brought in on a regular schedule?”
“No, for this exact reason.”
“Any way one of your employees could have passed the delivery information along?”
“There’s only a handful who know the particulars. Stacy Monroe, my wife and my general manager.”
“Is the manager here?”
“No. On vacation. He’ll be back next week.” Mr. Parson’s phone blared. “I need to take this.”
“And your wife?” Eloise asked quickly.
“At home. This is her calling now.”
Pivoting on her heel, Eloise searched for the main office. She found Stacy, a pretty brunette, hanging up the phone, tears in her eyes. “This is terrible.” She swiped a tissue from the box and blotted her eyes. “I’ve been in line for the office manager job for months and when I finally get the position this happens.”
“Do you have something to be worried about?”
Stacy’s eyes went wide. “No, I just mean that we all take this personally.”
“Did you mention yesterday’s delivery to anyone?”
“Of course not.”
“How do you think the thieves knew to go right to the new cars?”
Her chin went up. “I wouldn’t know.”
Upset and defensive. Did Stacy know more than she let on? Or had she messed up somehow and was worried about keeping her job?
“And all the keys are accounted for?”
“Yes.” She grabbed a fancy, square key ring featuring an imprint of some kind of animal on it, passed Eloise in a haze of strong perfume that made her sneeze and unlocked a large wall safe. Inside, key fobs hung from individual hooks, along with corresponding numbers she assumed went with the car the key belonged to. “They were locked up last night.”
And no one had broken into the office or safe. Didn’t matter since the cars were gone, but Eloise had to follow her line of questioning.
“Look.” Stacy sniffled. “I need this job. I wouldn’t risk it by getting involved with stolen cars.”
Until Eloise did a background check on the woman, she’d have to accept her word, but something was off here. Taking a card from the holder on Stacy’s desk, Eloise said, “If I have any more questions I’ll contact you.”
Stacy nodded, then hustled back to the desk when the phone rang. Eloise asked other employees more questions, finally heading to her car once she was satisfied she’d spoken to each person who could supply viable information.
Brandy stood by the sedan. “Finished?”
“For now. Ready to return to the department?”
As Eloise drove, her mind went over the statements she’d taken. No one knew anything. Couldn’t account for the thieves discovering the delivery date. Right now she had lots of questions that would take days to answer.
She and Brandy had just entered the squad room when Lieutenant Chambers caught her attention and motioned for her to come to his office. Thinking he wanted an update, she grabbed her notes and hurried over, stopping short when she saw Dante seated in one of the two chairs before Chambers’s desk.
“Have a seat, Detective.”
Eloise lowered herself, glancing at Dante for a hint of explanation as to what had precipitated the meeting. His expressionless face told her nothing.
“I called you both in here for two reasons.” He met her gaze. “Detective Archer, that call you took this morning. Did it look like our teen car problem?”
“No, sir. It was too deliberate. Too planned out.”
He nodded. “The dealership in Palm Cove isn’t the only one to be hit in recent months. Even dealers like Marcus King, with car lots in multiple cities, are being affected. Intel leads us to believe there’s a ring operating locally. We need to find it and put a stop to their activity.”
“What did you have in mind?” Dante asked, interest lighting his eyes.
“Matthews, I need you to go undercover again.”
Dante sat straighter in the chair.
“With your interest in restoring cars, you have an in. One of our officers, already undercover on a different case, reported unusual activity at an automotive shop under surveillance. We’d like you to infiltrate. We’re hoping this leads you to the ringleader.”
“Does this officer have an in?”
“Yes. You’ll pose as his cousin. He’ll give his seal of approval to secure you a job there.”
Dante nodded. “When do I start?”
“Monday. You’ll be briefed today about the garage in question, as well as the owner, who’s a potential suspect.” He paused a beat. “You won’t be going alone.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t want a hint of failure like last time. I’m sending another detective in with you.”
“To keep an eye on me?”
Eloise tightly gripped her notebook as the tension in the room accelerated.
“To make sure this operation is carried out to satisfaction.”
Dante’s jaw worked but he didn’t respond.
“In order to make this plausible, we’re going to set you up as a married man. Just a guy looking to support his family. A wife in the picture makes you less suspicious.”
“And who is this wife going to be?”
No, Eloise thought. No, no, no.
“Detective Archer.”
“Oh, no,” she groaned under her breath.
* * *
DANTE GLANCED TO his left. Eloise? They were partnering him with Eloise?
“Are you sure, sir? Detective Archer hasn’t had any undercover experience.”
“Then I’m sure you’ll show her the ropes. She’s a smart woman. She’ll catch on quick.”
“I don’t think—”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, Matthews. You work with her or you don’t get the case.”
Eloise? How on earth was he supposed to work the case and train her at the same time? Prove to the brass that he wasn’t going to screw up this investigation?
“If I may,” Eloise cut in.
Chambers nodded.
“I might not be experienced, but I can certainly be an asset.” She sent Dante a sideways look. Annoyance glittered in her eyes.
“I agree. You’re a fast learner, Archer. And you’re more than competent. While Matthews works at the shop and uncovers information there, you can work the technical end. We’ll have a computer station set up at the house you two will be sharing. You’ll be doing background checks, monitoring security once Matthews is employed at the shop and working the rest of your magic with a computer.”
Wait. The house they’d be sharing?
“You’ve already closed cases involving car theft, Archer. You know how serious this is. The call you took this morning proves that the problem is getting bigger. As you said, this was a professional job. This group is organized and has insider information. We need that information, as well as to find out how they are altering VINs and bills of sale successfully. Where are the stolen cars going? It’s a big deal.”
“I appreciate you needing the technical end, sir,” Eloise was saying, “but I’d like to be more visible.”
“That’s why you two will blend into the neighborhood we’re setting you up in. Be active. The whole point it to collect viable intel on the car ring. We need to know participants, specific delivery schedules, dealerships they plan to hit, and at the top of the list? The name of the boss behind the ring, without your neighbors knowing exactly who you are.”
Dante cleared his throat. “And who are we exactly?”
“Dan and Ellie Smith.”
Dante heard another quiet groan escape his new partner. A good rule of thumb when undercover was to use a variation of your real name so you wouldn’t get mixed up during the op. She was going to hate this.
“From the intel we’ve received, whoever is running this ring is good at hiding their identity. We need a name. Then we stop him.”
“Are the feds involved?” Dante asked.
“As of right now, no. Far as we can tell, the stolen cars have not crossed any state’s border.”
“Then we focus locally.”
“Yes. I want this one, Matthews. Archer has a good head on her shoulders. Listen to her.”
He glanced in her direction. She kept her chin up, facing the lieutenant. What was she thinking about all this?
“Moving on to the next item of business. Chief Perkins and I have been discussing possible candidates for the sergeant position. Both of your names have come up in consideration.”
He turned his head and met Eloise’s gaze. If she was surprised, she didn’t show it.
“You both have strengths that would work for the position. You both passed the civil test, and even though we haven’t officially interviewed you, we know both of you well enough to determine you’re ready for a promotion.”
Dante planted his feet on the ground to keep from jittering. As much as he’d told his mother he wasn’t sure about taking the position, he discovered he wanted it. Badly. Enough to battle Eloise over it? Yep. Did that make him a bad guy?
“The two of you pairing up as partners works to our advantage. We’ll watch how you handle the investigation, your decision making, how you interact with each other. Then we’ll decide who moves ahead at this time.”
Eloise squared her shoulders. She wanted the job. It was written all over her. She was a good detective. Probably a better administrator than he. But he knew his fellow officers. Could be a better supervisor. Office management could be learned as he went along.
“You’ll both report for a briefing in an hour. Dismissed.”
Eloise hightailed it out of the room. He had to jog to keep up with her.
“Ellie. Slow down.”
She spun around. “Not Ellie. Not now.”
He followed her to her desk. Voices carried around them from officers busy at work, but when he noticed curious eyes on them, he realized the tension around himself and Eloise alerted them that something was up. “Fine. When we start the operation.”
She stared back at him, her pretty brown eyes dark. “I want the promotion,” she stated.
“So do I,” he countered.
“I deserve it.”
“I could use the same argument.”
The thundercloud in her eyes still raged. “Then this puts us at odds.”
“Not during the operation, Eloise. It doesn’t work that way. We put all thought about the sergeant position aside when we become Dan and Ellie Smith. Otherwise we won’t fool anyone.”
“Fine, but I’ll be an equal partner. I won’t be your babysitter.”
“Harsh.”
“I’m a professional and I can do the job as well as you, even if I don’t have undercover experience.”
“But I do have the experience, Eloise. That’s the point.”
“And I have the research skills.”
“Exactly. We both have our strengths.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I’ve never done this kind of op, where I had to pretend to be married. It’ll be a learning curve for both of us. Instead of battling each other, let’s promise to work together.”
Her gaze wavered. She was an intelligent woman. A savvy cop. She might not like his words, but she would accept the truth behind them.
“I can’t promise I’ll be a loving wife,” she said, voice lowered, still infused with irritation.
“I can honestly say I’ll probably make a lousy husband.”
She sighed, all pretense of anger gone. “What were they thinking?”
“That we’d make a good team?”
She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Wait till everyone finds out.”
It wouldn’t be long before the entire squad room discovered they’d been partnered together. He could imagine the remarks he’d have to fend off because this was Eloise he’d been teamed with. Upright and uptight, but smart and savvy.
“I meant what I said this morning. You’ll make a good team member,” he told her, trying to defuse the tension, but also honestly meaning it. She might not like sports a whole lot, but she was willing to try. She’d give her all when undercover. That went a long way in his book.
“That’s when you were talking about the mud run.”
“I was talking about being part of a team in general. I think I can trust you, Eloise.”
“Think?” she sputtered, her eyes hot again. “We’re going to pretend to be husband and wife, live in the same house, for Pete’s sake, and you think you can trust me?”
Jeez. This was getting out of hand. Didn’t bode well for his husbandly skills. “No. I will trust you.”
Her eyes blazed. “That’s right you will.”
“We’ll put moving ahead in our careers aside for sake of the investigation?”
“Yes. And once we’ve concluded the case, it’s game on.”
A small victory, he supposed, but he’d take it.
“Want to grab lunch?”
An are you kidding me? expression crossed her face.
“Work related,” he bit out.
“I suppose we could discuss the upcoming investigation.” Her shoulders relaxed a bit. “How we’ll work together to make this happen.”
She couldn’t help tossing the “we” in there.
“Good. It’s a date.”
Just when he thought he’d persuaded her—babysitter, really?—a whistle split the relative calm of the squad room. Dante looked over to see one of the officers send him a thumbs-up. “Promo’s yours, bro,” he said. Dante grimaced, almost afraid to face Eloise. He wouldn’t have if he wasn’t a Matthews, because Matthewses didn’t run from danger. So he turned toward her.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Eloise fumed. “This is insulting. I’ve worked hard to get where I am today. In two seconds, your friends over there have turned our vying for the sergeant’s job into the makings of a frat party.”
“Ignore them.”
She gaped at him. “And how do you suggest I manage that?”
Before he could pin down his suggestions, Brandy ran up to them, excitement streaming off her in waves. Now it was his turn to want to bolt.
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith?” she squealed. “Just like the movie.”
Just shoot me now.
Eloise sent him a wry look. “Ignore it, huh?”
“Yes. We have an important job to do. These clowns will be apologizing later when we make the biggest arrest in Palm Cove history.”
She raised a brow.
“Okay, a substantial bust. And we’ll do it together.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “Come on, let’s go. Lunch is calling.”
“Never mind. I have things I need to tie up here if we’re going to be out of the office for any length of time.”
Brandy shot him a victorious smile. “And she and I need to talk.” That said, she tugged Eloise’s arm.
Dante stopped her before she was pulled away. “This will work out, Eloise. We’ll be professional and aboveboard.”
The fire in her brown eyes warned him there might be fireworks ahead. Not that he minded an explosion every now and then. One way or another, he’d win her over.
CHAPTER THREE
HE HAD TO hand it to her. She’d shown up.
Dante had had his doubts, considering the grueling couple of days prepping their undercover stories and investigation strategy. Must have been the team loyalty he’d inspired in her. Either that or she planned on sticking it to him during the race. A smart man would keep his eye on her, and Mrs. Matthews didn’t raise no dummy.
Eloise stopped at the perimeter of the teams milling around prior to the race. Uncertainty wrinkled her brow. A slender finger pushed her glasses up her nose. Man, that got him every time. She tried to hide her vulnerability, but it was like he had radar. Probably because he could relate.
Growing up in the shadows of his older brothers, barreling through life, whether it was grabbing the last pancake on Sunday morning or making a sports team one of his brothers had already left his mark on, he found himself competing for their respect. Making a bigger splash to get noticed. Hating when they’d nicknamed him Pretty Boy. He couldn’t help his looks. It was genetics and he was more than that, if they’d notice. Hadn’t he carved out a career in law enforcement because he wanted to be like his father? Upheld the family tradition?
Someone slapped him on the back, jolting him from his jaunt down memory lane.
“Today’s the day we beat you, Matthews.”
“In your dreams, Johnson.”
His taunt was met with a laugh. Yeah. Palm Cove would show the other teams today. The race might be called Maniacal Mudder because of the challenging obstacles, but he and his teammates would show the other police departments a thing or two.
“This is worse than I imagined,” Eloise said as she joined him. “Maybe I can get a last minute doctor’s note and bow out.”
“People have seen you. Can’t leave now.”
“Just what I was afraid of.”
“C’mon over to the sign-in table.”
He waited until she fell into step beside him and led them through the crowd. Before long she’d stowed away her small backpack, had a cloth square with the number eighty-three pinned to the back of her T-shirt and slipped on the rubber wristband given to the runners.
“Guess this makes me official.” She rolled her shoulders and glanced around. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
He made a swirly gesture toward her hair. “You might want a bandanna so if your hair gets loose it won’t get in your eyes.”
She worried her lower lip. “I didn’t bring one.”
“Got one in the car. Follow me.”
He led her to the ’65 Mustang. Hid a grin when her eyes went wide.
“Wow. That’s quite a car.”
“Been tinkering on it for a while. Decided to bring it out for a drive today.”
The two-seater looked sweet in the early-morning light. Or maybe he was jazzed to have taken it out for a spin, windows down, a fresh breeze blowing out the cobwebs after being cooped up all week.
“This is what Chambers meant when he mentioned your interest in restoring cars?”
“Yep.” He opened the door and leaned in to rummage through the glove box, pulling out a checkered square of cloth. “My dad and I logged a lot of hours working on cars like this. Mostly muscle cars. We’d restore and flip them.”
“A side business?”
“Not really. It was a reason to make time to be together.”
Her eyes took on a wistful gleam.
“How about you? Any hobbies you share with your folks?”
“Not unless you consider lecturing your daughter a hobby?”
Okay, then. He handed her the bandanna. “This should work.”
She took it, twisted it between her fingers.
“Don’t worry so much. This is going to be fun.” He nodded to the cloth. “Might help keep your glasses in place, too.”
Her fingers flew up to the arms of the glasses as she adjusted them. “Brought an old pair. Just in case.”
“You’ll do fine.”
Doubt and fear competed for prominence across her gentle features. Before he could stop and think about what he was doing, Dante laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. There was a spark from the connection. At her surprised glance, their eyes met and held. The deep, coffee-brown depths started his heart to hammering, which had nothing to do with the anticipation of the race and everything to do with the woman standing before him.
As if scalded, he jerked his hand back to his side. Eloise ducked her head. Uneasiness hovered between them.