Raintree: Haunted (Raintree 2)

“What’s the plan?” Hope asked as they walked into the crowded parking lot. Her heels clicked on the asphalt. Gideon’s steps were slower, steady and rhythmic.

“I want to go back to the apartment and have a look around. Maybe you can work on organizing the paperwork before the case files I requested start coming in. The neighbors’ interviews need to be typed up. It’ll be a day or two before we get a report from the crime lab, but you could give ’em a call and try to hurry it along.”

Hope tried—very hard—not to get riled. “I’m not your secretary, Raintree.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“You want me to take care of the paperwork while you investigate.”

“Leon didn’t mind.”

“I’m not Leon.”

He stopped a few feet from his car and looked pointedly down at her. “I’m very well aware of that, Detective Malory.”

“I’ll drive today,” she said.

“I’d better—”

“I’ll drive,” she said again, more slowly this time. She refused to allow him to dominate this partnership. Best to show him right now that she wasn’t going to be pushed around.

There was a flash of something in Raintree’s green eyes. Amusement, maybe. It definitely wasn’t surrender. Still, all he said was, “Okay. If you insist.”

Her Toyota was parked just a few spaces down from his Mustang. “Do you want to put the top up?” she asked, pointing to his convertible.

“It’ll be all right,” he answered casually.

She slipped her keys from the side pocket of her purse and unlocked the doors with the remote on her key chain. She opened the driver’s side door while Raintree paused to look over her vehicle.

He casually placed one hand on the hood and said, “Nice car. Does it get good gas mileage?”

She almost laughed. “Significantly better than your gas guzzler.”

He straightened away from the car and coolly took his place in the passenger seat, seeming perfectly at ease. Yesterday he had been insistent about driving, but today he seemed to accept his role as passenger quite well. Maybe this partnership would work out after all. Hope buckled her seat belt and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened.

She tried again. There was a dead-sounding click, and nothing more.

“Sounds like your starter’s on the fritz,” Raintree said evenly as he opened the passenger door and stepped out. “I know a guy,” he said as he snagged his own car keys from his pocket and headed for his convertible. “I’ll give you his number, and you can catch up with me when—”

“Oh no.” Hope locked her car and followed Raintree, her own strides shorter than his but no less firm. “I’ll take care of the car later. You’re not leaving me here.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “You’re very dedicated, Detective Malory.”

With the harsh sunlight on Raintree’s face, she could see the faint lines around his eyes. He had probably been a pretty boy in his youth, and just enough of the pretty remained to make him interesting. He wasn’t a kid anymore, though. Neither was she.

“I’m stubborn,” she said. “Get used to it.”

He grinned as he opened the passenger side car door for her and waited for her to step inside. She did, and then she looked up at him. “Don’t do that again,” she said softly.

“Don’t do what?”

“Treat me like we’re on a date. I’m your partner, Raintree. Did you ever open the door for Leon?”

“No, but he was ugly as sin and had fat, hairy legs.”

She glared at him and didn’t respond.

“Fine,” he said as he rounded the car. “You’re one of the guys. Just another cop, just another partner.”