Sugar and Spice, page 12
“Okay.”
Jayne was off the phone by the time Riley returned. He started to sort through a variety of envelopes, automatically tossing the majority of them. “What did Gloria have to say?” he asked with a preoccupied frown.
Jayne poured water into the coffeepot. “It…wasn’t Gloria.”
“Oh?” He raised his eyes to meet hers. “Who was it?”
“Mark Bauer.” She had no reason to feel guilty about Mark’s call, but she did, incredibly so.
“Mark Bauer,” Riley repeated, lowering his mail to the counter. “Has he made a habit of calling you since I’ve been gone?”
“No,” she said. “Of course not.”
Riley responded with a snort. He’d recognized Mark’s type immediately. The guy wasn’t all bad, just seeking a little companionship. The problem with Mark was that he had the mistaken notion that he was a lady-killer. He kept the lines of communication open with a dozen different women so that if one fell through there was always another. Only this time Mark had picked the wrong woman. Riley wasn’t about to let that second-rate would-be player anywhere near Jayne.
“It’s true, Riley,” Jayne protested. Mark hadn’t contacted her in weeks.
“What did he want?”
“He suggested a movie next Saturday.”
“And?”
“And I told him I wasn’t interested.”
“Good.” Reassured, Riley resumed sorting through ten days’ worth of junk mail.
“But…I’d go out with him if I wanted. It just so happens that I didn’t feel like a movie, that’s all.” If he could lie to her so blithely, she could do the same. Jayne wouldn’t have gone out with Mark again, but she didn’t need to admit that to Riley.
Swiftly, she retreated into the living room, grabbing the remote and flicking on the TV, hoping to catch the evening news. If the early broadcast gave more details about the Max Priestly case, she could judge Riley’s reaction to it.
Riley stiffened as he watched Jayne walk away, her spine straight and defiant. So she’d go out with other men if the mood struck her? Fine. “Go ahead,” he announced.
Jayne turned around. “What do you mean?”
“You want to go out with other men, then do so with my blessing.” Anger quivered in his voice. He didn’t know what game Jayne was playing, but he wanted no part of it.
“I don’t need your blessing.”
“You’re right. You don’t.” His teeth hurt from clenching them so tightly. “Listen, we’re both tired. Let’s call it a night. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“Fine.” Primly, she crossed her arms when the door closed and refused to meet his gaze.
But when the door closed, Jayne’s confidence dissolved. Their meeting hadn’t worked out the way she’d wanted. Instead of confronting Riley with what she’d learned, Jayne had tried to test his love.
After ten minutes of wearing a path in her carpet, Jayne decided that she was doomed to another sleepless night unless they settled this. She’d go to him and tell him she’d seen his car parked at Soft Sam’s when he was supposedly fishing with friends. She’d also tell him she remembered seeing him and Senator Priestly in the apartment parking lot. Once she confronted Riley with the truth, he’d open up to her. And they were desperately in need of some honesty.
Standing outside his door, Jayne felt like a fool. Riley didn’t answer her first tentative knock. She tried again, more loudly.
“Just a minute,” she heard him shout.
Angrily, Riley threw open the front door. His quickly donned bathrobe clung to his wet body. Droplets of water dripped from his wet hair.
“Jayne,” he breathed, surprised to see her. “I was in the shower.”
She stepped into the apartment, nervously clasping her hands. “Riley, I’m sorry about what I said earlier.”
His smile brightened his dark face. “I know, love.”
Awkwardly, she began pacing. “We need to talk.” They couldn’t skirt the truth anymore. It had to come out, and it had to be now.
“Give me a minute to dress.” He paused long enough to kiss her before disappearing into the bedroom.
Feeling a little out of place, Jayne moved into the living room. “Would you mind if I turned on the television?” she called out. The evening newscast could help her lead into the facts she’d unwittingly discovered.
“Sure, go ahead,” came Riley’s reply. “Remote’s on top of the TV.”
As she walked across the room, Jayne caught sight of a reddish leather briefcase sticking out from under the TV. She froze. This was the case she’d seen Senator Priestly hand over to Riley that afternoon so long ago. At least it appeared to be. She hadn’t seen many of this color and this particular design.
Trembling, Jayne sank to her knees on the carpet and pulled out the briefcase. Her heart felt as though it was about to explode as she pressed open the two spring locks. The sound of the clasp opening seemed to reverberate around the room. For a panicked second she waited for Riley to rush in and demand to know what she was doing.
When nothing happened, Jayne pushed her glasses higher on her nose and carefully raised the lid. The briefcase was empty except for one file folder and one computer flash drive. Her heart pounding, Jayne opened the file. What she saw caused her breath to jam in her throat. She lifted the sheet that was a telephone log—Senator Priestly’s calls. Sorting through the other papers, Jayne discovered copies of the incriminating letters that were said to be missing. Riley had in his possession the evidence necessary to convict Priestly. The very evidence that the police needed.
Feeling numb with shock and disbelief, Jayne quietly closed the case and returned it to its position under the TV.
She was sitting with her hands folded in her lap while Riley hummed cheerfully in the background. She couldn’t confront Riley with what she’d found. At least not yet. Nor could she let him know what else she’d learned. If she was going to fall in love, why, oh why, did it have to be with a money-hungry felon?
* * *
—
Hurriedly, Riley dressed, pleased that Jayne had come to him. He didn’t understand why she’d started acting so silly. It was obvious that they were in love, and two people in love don’t talk about dating others. His hands froze on his buttons. Maybe Jayne had seen him with Mimi again. No, he thought, and expelled his breath. Jayne wouldn’t have been able to hide it this well. He’d known almost instantly that there was something drastically wrong the first time she’d been upset. Something was bothering Jayne now, but it couldn’t be anything as major as seeing him with that woman.
Walking into the living room, Riley paused. Jayne’s spine was ramrod straight, and tears streamed down her ashen face.
“Jayne,” he whispered. “What is it?”
She came to him then, linking her arms around him. “I love you, Riley.”
“I know, and I love you, too.”
She sobbed once and buried her face in his shoulder.
“Honey, has someone hurt you?” he asked urgently.
She shook her head. “No.” Breaking free, she wiped her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous. I…don’t know what came over me.” Immediately her right eye started twitching, and she stared down at the floor. “I just wanted to tell you I regret what happened earlier,” she said in a low voice.
“I understand.” But he didn’t. Riley had never seen Jayne like this. “Are you hungry? Would you like to go out for dinner?” Showing himself in a public restaurant wouldn’t be the smartest move, but they could find an out-of-the-way place.
“No,” she said quickly, too quickly. “I’m not hungry. In fact, I’ve got this terrible headache. I should probably make it an early night.”
Riley was skeptical. “If you want.”
She backed away from him, inching toward the door. “Good night, Riley.”
“Night, love. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Turning, she scurried across the room and out the door like a frightened mouse. More confused than ever, Riley rubbed his jaw. From the way Jayne was behaving, he could almost believe she knew something. But that was impossible. He’d gone to extreme measures to keep her out of this thing with Priestly.
* * *
—
Back inside her apartment, Jayne discovered that she couldn’t stop shaking. The Riley Chambers she’d fallen in love with didn’t seem to be the same man who’d returned from the fishing trip. Riley might believe he loved her, but secretly Jayne wondered how deep his love would be if he was aware of how much she knew.
Ignorance had been bliss, but her eyes were open now, and she had to take some kind of action. But what kind?
She’d refused to believe what the evidence told her about Riley; now she had to accept it. She didn’t have any choice. No matter what the consequences, she had to act.
A sob escaped as she thought about that stupid class reunion, which had gotten her into this predicament in the first place. At this point, going back to St. Mary’s was the last thing she wanted to do.
Tears squeezed past her tightly closed eyes, and Jayne gave up the effort to restrain them. She let them fall, needing the release they gave her. No one had ever told her that loving someone could be so painful. In all the books she’d read over the years, love had been a precious gift, something beyond price. Instead, she’d found it to be painful, intense, and ever so confusing.
Jayne didn’t bother to go to bed. She sat in the darkened room, staring blankly at the walls, feeling wretched. More than wretched. The bitter disappointment cut through her. She didn’t know what would happen to Riley once she talked to the police. If he hadn’t already been arrested, they’d probably come for him after that.
Once again she entertained the idea of confronting him with what she’d discovered and asking him to do the honorable thing. And again she realized the impossibility of that request. Riley had lied to her several times. She couldn’t trust him. And yet she still loved him.
* * *
—
As the sky lightened with early morning, Jayne noticed that the clouds were heavy and gray. It seemed like an omen, a premonition of what was to come.
Knowing what she had to do, Jayne waited until she guessed Riley was awake before phoning him.
“I won’t be going to work today,” she told him, unable to keep the anguish out of her voice.
Riley hesitated. It sounded as if Jayne was ready to burst into tears. “Jayne,” he said, unsure of how much to pressure her right now, “honey, tell me what’s wrong.”
“I’ve…still got this horrible headache,” she said, on a rush of emotion. “I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about me. And, Riley, I want you to know something important.”
“What is it?” Momentarily, he tensed.
“I care about you. I’ll probably never love anyone more than I love you.”
“Jayne…”
“I’ve got to call the library and tell them I won’t be in.”
“I’ll talk to you this evening.”
“Okay,” she said hoarsely.
Ten minutes later, she heard him leave. She waited another fifteen and made two brief phone calls. One to Gloria at the library and another to a local cab company, requesting a taxi.
The cab arrived in a few minutes, and Jayne walked out of the lobby and into the car.
“Where to, miss?” the balding driver asked.
She reached for a fresh tissue. She hadn’t put on her glasses because she kept having to take them off to mop up the tears. “The downtown police station,” she whispered, hardly recognizing her own voice. “And hurry, please.”
Nine
Lieutenant Hal Powers brought Jayne a cup of coffee and sat down at the table across from her. She supposed this little room was normally used for the interrogation of suspects. This morning she felt like a criminal herself, reporting the man she loved to the police.
“Now, Ms. Gilbert, would you like to start again?”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, brushing away the tears. “I told myself I wouldn’t get emotional, and then I end up like this.”
Lieutenant Powers gave her an encouraging smile. Jayne had liked him immediately. He was a sensitive man, and she hadn’t expected that. From various mysteries she’d read, Jayne had assumed that the police often became cynical and callous. Lieutenant Powers displayed neither of those characteristics.
She gripped the foam cup with both hands and stared into it blindly. “I live in the Marlia Apartments, and I…have this neighbor. I suspect he may be involved in something that could get him into a great deal of trouble.”
“What has your neighbor been doing?” the lieutenant asked gently.
“I think highly of this neighbor, and I…I don’t want to say anything until I know what would happen to him.”
Lieutenant Powers frowned. “That depends on what he’s done.”
Jayne took another sip of coffee in an effort to stall for time and clear her thoughts. “To be honest, I can’t say for sure that…my neighbor’s done anything unlawful. But he’s holding something that he shouldn’t. Something of value.”
“Does it belong to him?”
Jayne’s eyes fell to the smooth tabletop. “Not exactly.”
“Do you know who it does belong to?”
With dismay in her heart, she nodded.
“Who?”
Jayne was silent. There’d never been a darker moment in her life.
“Ms. Gilbert?”
“What I found,” she said, as tears once again crept down the sides of her face, “belongs to Senator Max Priestly.”
The lieutenant straightened. “Do you know how your neighbor got this—whatever it is?”
“It’s a briefcase with telephone logs and incriminating letters.” Now that she’d finally spilled it out, she didn’t feel any better. In fact, she felt worse.
“How did your neighbor get this briefcase?”
“I saw the senator give it to Ril—my neighbor.” She hurried on to add, “He, my neighbor, doesn’t realize that I saw the exchange or that I know what’s inside.”
“How do you know?”
Jayne’s gaze locked with his. “I looked.”
“I see.” The lieutenant rose and walked to the other side of the room. “Ms. Gilbert—”
“Could you tell me what will happen to him?”
One side of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “I’m not sure…” He appeared preoccupied as he moved toward the door. “Could you excuse me for a minute?”
“Of course.”
Lieutenant Powers left the room, and Jayne covered her face with both hands. This was so much worse than she’d imagined. Her deepest fear was that the police would insist she lead them to Riley. She felt enough like an informant. A betrayer. If only she’d been able to talk to Riley, confront him—but that would’ve been impossible. Loving him the way she did, she would’ve been eager to believe anything he told her. Jayne couldn’t trust herself around Riley. So she’d done the unthinkable. She’d gone to the police to turn in the only man she’d ever loved.
The door opened, and Lieutenant Powers returned. “I think you two have something you need to discuss.”
Jayne suddenly noticed that the lieutenant wasn’t alone. Behind him stood Riley.
Jayne’s mouth sagged open in utter disbelief.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” Powers added.
“Thanks, Hal,” Riley said as the lieutenant walked out the door.
“Oh Riley!” Jayne leapt to her feet. “I’m so sorry I had to do this!” she cried through her tears.
“Jayne…”
“No.” She held up her hand to stop him. “Please, don’t say anything. Just listen. I told you this morning that I love you, and I meant that with all my heart. We’re going to get through this together. I promise you that I’ll be by your side no matter how long you’re in prison. I’ll come and visit you and write every day until…until you’re free again. You can turn your life around if you want. I believe in you.” She spoke with all the fervency of her love.
Riley’s mouth narrowed into a hard line.
“You told me once that you wanted to change,” Jayne reminded him. “Let me help you. I want to do everything I can.”
“Jayne—”
Her hand gripped his. “Riley, I beg you, please, please, tell them everything.”
He pulled his hand free. “Jayne, honestly, would you stop being so melodramatic!”
Melodramatic? She blinked, unsure that she’d heard him correctly. “What do you mean?”
“There’s no need for you to write me in prison.”
“But…”
“Jayne, I’m with the FBI. I’ve been working undercover for six months.” Witnessing her distress, Riley cursed himself for not having told her sooner. He also realized that he couldn’t have told her. Doing so could have put the entire operation in jeopardy. Breaking cover went against everything that had been ingrained in him from the time he was a rookie. But seeing the anguish Jayne had suffered was enough to persuade him that he had to explain.
“Honey, I couldn’t tell you.”
Stunned, Jayne managed to nod.
“I would’ve put you in danger if I had.”
She continued staring at him. Riley, her Riley, worked for the FBI. She waited for the surge of relief to fill her. None came.
“Why do you have the evidence needed to convict Senator Priestly?” Her voice sounded frail and quavering.
“I’m working undercover, Jayne. I can’t really say any more than that.”
She didn’t understand what being undercover had to do with anything. Then it dawned on her. “You’re trying to catch someone else?”
