dillon's reckoning
by
Unknown

Chapter 1

Judd Dillon had no trouble spotting Adrienne Trudell, despite the chaotic
noise and scrambling hospital staff.  Knowing she would be here should have
prepared him, but he braced himself, anyway.  He didn't want to even consider
the thought of working with her.

Seeing her every day.

Concentrating on managing his unwanted and unwelcome feelings.

And the worst of it all: remembering too vividly how he'd used her.

Dammit, he thought, he hadn't even gotten close enough to speak to her and
already his gut was twisting.  What he needed were those steely nerves and
the cool distance he'd perfected over the past few years.

Judd stepped around a deserted cart of lunch trays.  He made his way down the
wide corridor of the maternity floor to where Adrienne was talking softly to
a sobbing young woman who looked barely out of her teens.


The sound of tears interspersed with wailing grew louder as he got closer.

Adrienne turoed and saw him, her eyes catching his for a fleeting second
before she resumed patting and reassuring the weeping woman.  She urged the
younger woman back into her room and then walked toward him.

Despite his preference not to, he noted her curly auburo hair, and the misty
blue eyes that made him think that innocence had a color all its own.  He
took in the flush of her cheqks, and the fitted navy suit that defined her
slenderness without looking provocative.

In fact, had he not known her credentials, he would have immediately
concluded that she was too young and inexperienced for the job she held.  "
"Ms.  Trudell," Judd said in a low voice, trying to ignore the lilac
freshness of her scent filtering through the antiseptic hospital odor.

"Detective Dillon: '

The automatic formality should have pleaseql him.  On one level it did, but
he was still too conscious of the effort it cost to deny and ignore the
bitter eqges of his past with her.  This, in turo, made him aware of just how
careful he had to be around Adrienne Trudell.  Dealing with suppressed
tension was always a dangerous proposition.

Judd nodded toward the room where the woman had gone.  " " I presume she's
the mother: ' " " Yes.  Tanya Whitewell.  "

He knew the first investigating officers had already been there and would be
filing preliminary reports.  Right now,

Judd also knew, questions were being asked in other parts of the hospital, at
the admittance and visitor's desk, as well as outside, with outer security.
Although the sight of a woman leaving a hospital with a baby wasn't unusual,
babies often did cause many a fond second look.  With any

someone might have notioed a significant detail.
From what Judd had learoed so far, the extent of the description was that the
"snatcher" in question had been a woman.

Closer questioning of the mother was why he was here.  " " Where's the
father?  " he asked abruptly.  ' " Not here yet.  He's a carpenter and is
working on a project in Massachusetts.  He's been notified to come to the
hospital immediately.  " ' Judd nodded and made a mental note to make sure
the father was questioned.  " Have you learoed anything from ; Mrs.
Whitewell?  "

"Only that she has no idea who the woman was or why she would take her baby."

"I have a better question," he said with sharp irntation.

"How in hell did the woman get close enough to the baby to take him in the
first place?"

She caught her breath and Judd immediaqly realized how fierce and angry he
sounded.

"That wasn't directed at you per5onally," he said gruffly, i wondering why he
felt any need to apologize for being out ; raged at what had happened.  i
"I'm as angry as you are."

"You'rejust better at keeping it in check."  i She stared at him.  "Should I
take that as a comp1iment or your recognition of a flaw?"

He gave her a measuring look, wondering if her question was some kind of
attempt to make him more p11able about working with her.  Deciding against
it, he looked away from her.  His cynicism was in top form, he decided grimly.

Deciding to take a different tack, he said,"LeYs just call it an observation.
Maybe I've been at this job too long, but

I'm short on patienq and sympathy for carelessness and stupidity by people
who should know better.  " ; " "You mean the hospital: '

"

" For starters.   "

"They've already started internal inquiries.  As you can see by just looking
at the nurses and the other staff, everyone is very upset."

Judd pulled a notebook from his pocket along with a pen and reminded himself
that he wasn't a judge, but a cop assigned to get the facts and find the
infant who'd been kidnapped from the hospital.  Maybe it was the feeling of
sheer helplessness of the situation or the deeper fear of failure that was
riding him.  He didn't know what it was but he had to work quickly.
Statistically, the longer the infant was missing the less likely the
possibility of a favorable outcome.

To Adrienne he said, "Give me the name of the person who's coordinating the
internal inquiries: ' " "Ralph Fairfax, the hospital administrator.  His
office is in the annex."

Judd jotted down a few notes and then said, "So fill me in on the mother."

"From what Tanya told me, she'd just finished feeding her son.  By the way,
his name is Caleb.  The suspect came into her room saying she'd come to get
the infant and rq turn him to the nursery."

"So the baby wasn't staying in the room with Mn.  Whitewell?"  Judd tightened
his fingers on the pen, recalling when his wife had given birth to their son.
Diana had wanted the baby with her.  Diana and Travis.  .  God, it had been
three years since he'd allowed himself to think of them this way.  Three
hellish years since they'd been killed by that drunk driver.  He'd gotten on
with the business of living, but his personal life, by his own choice, was a
barren stretch of emptiness.

"No, Tanya had a difficult delivery and her doctor felt she needed the rest,
so the baby stayed in the nursery."

Dillon's Reckoning Il

Judd nodded, busily taking notes and refusing any more self-indulgent forays
into the past.

Adrienne continued, "Tanya said the woman made some comments about how much
she loved babies, and when she took Caleb, she looked at him so adoringly and
was so nice ; that Tanya wanted to cry."  , "A nice woman?"  Judd rolled his
eyes.  "One who just happened to steal a kid from a hospital?"  ' "The fact
she stole Caleb doesn't mean she's devoid of feelings," Adrienne said.

"You're defending her?"

" " Of course not, but I don't think this woman, whoever she is, is a total
monster, either.   In fact, her positive reaction to the baby may be a plus.
Just because yocc have no heart, Detective Dillon, is no reason to assume
that every emotion shown by a criminal is just part of some con job.   "

"Yeah, well, given that we have a missing infant, I'd say ' my instincts are
dead-on.  As far as a con job goes, to take ; an infant from a large hospital
without arousing any suspii cion requires a hell of a lot of deoeit-including
those cuddly smiles the suspect tossed around: Placing the notebook ', and
pen back into his pocket, he'd already started to move around her and toward
Tanya Whitewell's room, when she i touched his arm.

He glanced down at her fingers.  Her nails were polished , a pale pink and in
a clear flash he recalled the way she'd tunneled them through his hair,
lightly scraped them along his belly, down to his-oh, hell, he thought in
self-disgust.  ' The vivid images spiraled through his conscienoe with maxi
imum damage before he forced the memory away.  " " Please be gentle with
Tanya," Adrienne said softly, and for a few seconds he could swear that those
same words had , been uttered in an entirely different context.  " "Yocc 'll
be gentle with me, Judd, I know you will.  "

Judd took a deep breath.  Her trust, her faith in him, the giving of
herself-he'd had them all and had hurled them back at her.  He'd made it
clear with his predawn departure from her apartment a year ago that he wanted
nothing to do with Adrienne or any of her feelings.  It had been too late for
him then.  He'd given himself wholly and totally to Diana and when he'd lost
her and their son, he'd lost himself, as well.

Damn the memories.  Damn them "Judd?  Did you hear what I said?"

Judd could have sworn that her nails had penetrated through his jacket and
his shirt.  "I heard you.  I.ook, I've been a cop for more years than I want
to th'q about.  Dealing gently with distraught victims isn't exactly a new
conoept But I have to get some answen and that means questions."

"I understand that, but she's so young and so confused" Then after a pause,
she asked, "Would you object if I stayed while you tallc to her?"

He peered at her, a little surprised she would ask permission She worked at
the Seapoint polioe headquarters in a new department that dealt ezclusively
with children's issues The mayor had okayed the innovative idea siqc months
ago at the request of Child-Aid, a publicly funded program that specialized
in missing children and that often worked closely with the police.  Moving a
branch into the polioe station had ssved taqpayers money and provided
in-house timeliness in dealing with the growing number of missing children's
cases.

Judd Iqew Adrienne had worlaed in various capacities for Child-Aid since
graduating from college.  She preferred to do the legwork of dealing diatly
with the pqq and children rather than the office paperwork.  When Judd had
learned that she'd turned down the job as director, and along with that, a
significant pay raise, he'd been astonished That decision of hers highlighted
one of his major problems with Adrienne-she deserved a lot more than she ever
took and for reasons that he himself didn't understand , this infuriated him
no end.  She always saw things from a higher, more idealistic perspective
than others.

His taste for idealism had crumbled early on in his law enforcement career,
but it had disappeared when Diana and

Travis had been killed by that drunk driver.  The bastard responsible had
done two years on a plea bargain and the last

Judd had heard, the man had moved north.  Some had expected

Judd to go after him-and he'd come damn close to doing just that, but instead
he'd done something, in his opinion, far more damaging.

He'd used Adrienne; to forget what a cold bastard he'd become, to block out
Diana and Travis, to make himself ' feel.  .  God, he didn't know what he'd
wanted to feel.  , Alive?  Aware?  Warm?  Not so damn alone?  ' Shaking off
the emotions, he reminded himself once again just how complicated working
with her would be.  ' "You're asking me permission to be in the room?  You
know I don't have jurisdiction over the Child-Aid department"

"But you are going to handle this case, aren't you?  I assumed that's why
you're here."

"ThaYs why I'm here."  He studied her, his eyes narrowing "I suppose iYs too
much to hope that you were just called in on a temporary basis: ' ; She shook
her head slowly as if she didn't want to give

' him the unsettling news.

"That's what I was afraid of," he grumbled.  "Yeah, come on in with me.  Your
being there will probably help."

"Why, Judd Dillon, is that an acknowledgment that I might know how to do my
job she askqed breezily.

He wondered if she was trying to ease the tension.  Too bad it wasn't that
simple.  " " I've never questioned your ability to do your job, I just don't
like your doing it with me.  "

"In other words, the farther away from me you are the better you like it: '

"Look, iYs not because-"

"You'd be working with a woman?"  she interjected quickly.  Judd scowled,
feeling a new tension develop.  They'd been together all of five minutes and
already he was in trouble.

Shrugging, he finally said, "I admit iYs not my first choice "

She gave him a cool detached perusal.  "I'm so glad iYs just your sexist
attitude.  I was beginning to think it might be because we made love once and
you're afraid I might not be able to separate the penonal from the
professional."

The bald comment or perhaps just the casual way she used it brought him up
short.  Not once since that night had they discussed it or even referred to
what had happened bq tween them.  For her to throw it out now like some barb
or gauntlet rattled him, although he had no intention of showing her any
reaction.

Besides, he guessed he was ten times more worried about being with her than
she was disturbed about being with him.  He had no doubt any positive
feelings she might have had for him had been shredded and forgotten long ago.

Adrienne smiled one of those winning smiles notable for an obvious victory.
Damn her, anyway.

Just outside Tanya Whitewell's room, he folded his finger around her wrist.
He could feel her puLse pound and he knew his own was none too steady.

Scowling, he said in a low voice, "Don't play cute with me, Adrienne."

She pulled away and he let her go.  Not looking at him, she said firmly, "All
I was going to say is that I'm quite aware of your disinterest and dislike of
me and I wouldn't dream of trying to change that.  In fact, the feeling is
mutual."

"Good," he said flatly.  "Finally we understand each other."

For some strained seconds, neither spoke.

Then Adrienne added, "You know, now I can appreciate what makes you such a
good cop.  Nothing fazes you, does it?"

"Damn little.  Now, can we get on with why we're here?"

She drew hen elf up, her back arrow stiff, and walked ahead of him into the
hospital room.  Sighing, he followed her.  God, he didn't need this kind of
hassle.  A tiny core inside of him hoped for a miracle.  Maybe the woman
who'd taken the infant would find her conscienoe, realize what she'd done and
return the baby by tonight.

But his more cynical side knew that was as likely as getting

Adrienne "Iirudell off the case.

Adrienne walked across the room to where Tanya sat in a chair, staring out
the window.  Wearing a ruffly yellow robe and fuzzy slip pen she looked
barely more than a child herself.  Vases of congratulatory flaw en sat near
the bed.  Cards stood open on the dresser.

She sobbed intermittently and Adrienne had to apply all her professional
objectivity not to cry herself.  Getting emotionally involved was not only
nonproductive from the standpoint of those she dealt with, it was also
intensely, personally, draining.

She glanced back at Judd, and wished she had his ability to distanoe himself.
Sighing inwardly, she admitted the main problem here.  For an entire year,
Adrienne had managed to avoid any sustained contact with Judd, with the same
doggedness that he had avoided her.  Oh, they'd nodded to each other
occasionally, exchanged polite chatter, wherever they ran into each other
during a workday, but that was all.

Now suddenly, a kidnapped infant had flung them together and the unspoken
rule of maintaining distance and coolness had disappeared.  Wary and
resolute, each was determined that neither would breach the shell of the
other.

"Tanya?"  Adrienne said softly.  "This is Detective Judd Dillon.  He's a
police officer and he wants to ask you some questions about what happened
here: '

For a moment, Tanya looked surprised.  "I already talked to the police."
Then she glanced toward the door, her eyes darting and scared.  " Where's
Ronnie?  They said they called him.  Why isn't he here?  He was so proud to
have a son.  He took this job to give us some eaha money for the baby.  Nqv
my baby is gone.  Stolen..  : Tean floqd down her cheeks.

Trying to reassure the woman, Adrienne squeezed the young mother's balled-up
fists.  "Yes, your husband has been called.  I'm sure he will be here
shortly.  But Iktective Dillon needs you to answer some questions so he can
find Caleb quickly."

Tanys sniffled, her eyes red and her chesks salty with dried tsan.  "All
right, but I don't know anything that will help: '

Judd pulled a chair over and sat down.  Adrienne mwed to the side.

He took out his notebook and pen from his inner jacket pocloet, then in a
friendly, but profsssionally objective voioe, Judd asked, "How old are you,
Tanya?"

" " "And Caleb is your first baby?"

" " lTh-huh.   Ronnie and I want two boys and two girls.   We planned it all
before we got married.   "

"That sounds very organized."

" " Ronnie and I are careful, " she said fiercely, as if she expected to be
accused of carelessness given how she'd allowed the stranger to take Caleb.
" We didn't want me to get pregnant before we were married.  We wanted to do
things right for our baby.  " Her lower lip began to tremble and new tears
fell.  " "It's not fair.  We did things right and proper and look what
happened.  Oh, my poor Caleb.  Why did this happen to him and to us?  Why?"
She buried her face in her hands and Adrienne started forward.  Judd grabbed
her wrist to stop her, shaking his head.

Adrienne frowned, but he didn't release her wrist.

"Tanya," he said in a low voice.

More sobs.

"Tanya, I want you to stop crying and look at me."

Adrienne tried to free her wrist, but Judd held it firmly.

What are you doing?  she mouthed.

Myjob, he mouthed back.

But Adrienne heard something else underlying his two words.  Don't interfere.
She guessed this was but a tiny ezample of why he had a reputation for
thomughness and cool professionalism.  She also concluded it was the reason
he didn't want to work with a woman.

She drew back and he released her.  Iteluctantly, she admitted to herself
that she was interfering.  Finding Caleb as quickly as possible was more
important than indulging

Tanya's tears.

In a soothing tone that was nonetheless firm, Judd said,

"Tanyq, I want you to tell me what the woman who took

Cakb looked like.  "

She shook her head back and forth.  "I don't know.  I ' don't remember: '

"Someone in the corridor said they saw a woman who was large, with red hair
tied back with a scarf."

18 Drllon's Reckoning

Adrienne frowned.  As far as she knew, no one had seen anyone they would have
described in such a way.  Unless Judd was throwing out a description to get
Tanya's attention ?

When Tanya shook her head, Adrienne knew that was exactly what Judd had done.
Very impressive, she thought with admiration.  His reputation as a skilled
investigator wasn't exaggerated.

"The woman who took Caleb was skinny," Tanya said.  "Her hair was dark."

"How old?"  Judd asked.

"Jeez, she was old.  At least thirty-five."

Adrienne suddenly felt ancient.  She knew Judd was close to thirty-seven and
she herself was thirty-three.  " " Any scars, marks, broken teeth, did she
wear makeup?  If so, how did it strike you?  Carelessly or carefully applied
?  Anything that stood out that you might remember ?  "

Tanya bit her bottom lip thoughtfully.  "She had a friendly smile..  .  oh,
and a yellow ribbon in her hair.  She even had a blue rattle that she said
the hospital gave to the baby boys.  Pink to the girls, I guess: '

Judd made notes and Adrienne frowned, but before she could decide what
bothered her about Tanya's blue rattle comment, Judd asked, "How did she hold
Caleb, Tanya?"  At the woman's puzzled look, Judd explained, " " Up over her
shoulder as if to burp him?  Or did she cradle him in her arms?  "

"I'm not sure."  Suddenly, she looked stricken.

"Let's see if we can help you remember: He turned.  " Adrienne, would you get
the pillow?  We'll see if we can reconstnict what Tanya saw "

Adrienne did what she was told and Judd drew her close.  He arranged the
pillow in a cradling position in Adrienne's arms, then placed her arms and
hands as if she were holding and rocking an infant.  She watched the
quickness of his hands and wondered how many times he'd placed his own son in
Diana's arms.  Her heart wrenched anew at the thought of the devastation
their deaths had brought to him.

Judd said, "Tanya, does this look familiar?"

The young mother stared for just a minute.  Then, biting her lip, she shook
her head.

"All right, let's try the shoulder."

Adrienne held the pillow against her shoulder and placed her hand toward the
top, as if supporting an infanYs head.

"Yes!"  Tanya exclaimed, suddenly excited and sitting up straight.  "Yes,
thaYs the way she held him.  Adrienne has a ring on and I remembered the
woman wore a ring.  I was afraid it might twist and scratch Caleb's head."  '
Judd already had his notebook open to a fresh page.  "Tell me about the ring:
'

Adrienne put the pillow back on the bed and sat down to listen.

Tanya frowned.  "It was sparkly.  You know, one of those rings that's so big
it can't be real.  The stone had silver, uh, ; those things that hold the
stone."  ' "Prongs?"  Adrienne suggested.

"Yes, that's it.  Prongs: ' "

" What color was the stone?   "

"Red.  I remember it was red because it made me think of blood: '

Chapter 2

q q Blood, for God's sake," Judd said a few minutes later.  He shook his head
in astonishment.

They had left Tanya's room after Leo, a police slcqtch artist, arrived.  He'd
promised Judd a composite in the next few hours.  In the meantime, Judd had
decided to talk to Ralph Fairfax.  Adrienne went along to save Judd's having
to repeat to her later what he'd learned from Fairfax.

Judd scowled, as if unable to let go of what Tanya had said.  "Why would a
woman Tanya's age think of blood when she saw something red?"

Adrienne shuddered.  "Chilling, isn't it?"

"Why not red roses or valentines or even passion?"

"Probably because she's seen more spilled blood than most women do in a
lifetime.  The inner-city life of young girls today means ducking bullets
more than it does looking for white knights to the rescue."

He didn't answer and Adrienne knew it wasn't because she'd given him any new
insight, but more than likely that he was mulling over what she'd so quickly
deduced were Tanya's thought processes.  She knew Judd well enough to
understand how focused he was about his work; anyone careless or incompetent
would quickly be dismissed by him as unqualified.

Adrienne sighed.  Despite her credentials, she guessed she'd have to
constantly show him and reaffirm that she did inde sd know how to do her job.
Given his admission already that he didn't like working with women, and
considering their past relationship, Adrienne didn't have to be brilliant to
conclude that Judd didn't mean all women, just her.

Her attempt to soothe Tanya when Judd was questioning the young mother had
annoyed him.  Grimly, she realized she had played right into a male
assumption that tean rq quired soothing words, embraces and probably an
apology for as lang painful questions.  Judd had been extremely patient with
Tanya, and in retrospect Adrienne had to admit that he'd gotten an incredible
amount of information from the woman, despite her sobbing.

She stole a glanoe at him.  Saddlqbrown hair, the sharp jaw, the stubborn set
of his faoe, granite flesh-if such a thing could exist.  Lines fanned from
his smoky grren eyes even when he slidn't smile.  His lean body, muscled and
hard, made her aware of how he had felt prq against her once.  An awareness
she instantly put aside.  Judd wasn't handsome , certainly not boyish and
rarely charming.  Most times, his demeanor gave the message-stay away, iYs
too late for me, too late for anyone to care.

Adrienne had seen cynicism in adults and even in children However, Judd's
attitude seemed more entrenched and calcified.  Then again, she knew nothing
about Judd that was simple or easily explained.  Losing Diana and ha vis had
fundamentally drained and emptied him so that any attempt to break the seal
he'd created around his Iife-and most of all his heart-was greeted with cold
detachment and immediate suspicion.

She'd learned that fact in a too-painful and too-mortifying way.

Since they would be working together, she had to do her job in the most
exemplary way, and she wouldn't allow old and long-buried feelings for Judd
to interfere with her rq sponsibility or deter her from her duty.

Once she'd loved him, despite knowing he felt none of those feelings for her.

Once she'd wanted him and given in to that want.

Once she'd trusted him and he'd betrayed her heart by walking away without a
backward look.

Well, not again.  A fool she wasn't.  Perhaps not much older than she'd been
that night, but definitely wiser, and she fully intended to prove to him and
to herself that keeping cool and emotionally aloof would be the basis of any
relationship they had.

Now they turned down another corridor and at the end took the elevator to the
main floor.  Ralph Fairfax's office was located in a separate building,
connected by a glass enclosed walkway.

As they stepped into the sun-drenched area, Adrienne noted that Judd scowled.
She got suddenly tense, but quelled her immediate reaction to ask what was
wrong.  He would just scowl harder and refuse to answer.  She wondered if he
had a dislike of closed places, but that theory seemed remote.  ln the kind
of job he had, she doubted any phobia would be long tolerated.

Personally, she loved glass enclosures, whether they were paths from one
building to another, the glass-bottomed boat she'd gone on in Florida when
she was a child or her very favorite-a greenhouse.  She had a miniature one
attached to a window in her apartment and working with the plants always
brightened her mood after work.  Someday, she wanted to have a house with a
full-size greenhouse that she could walk in.  Someday, maybe.  ; The view
outside the walkway offered gardens profuse with late-sqimmer flowers, two
marble like birdbaths on pedestals that attracted cardinaq and hummingbirds.
Stone benches were scattered about.  Soft music played from strategically
plaoed speakers, giving an ambience of peace and tranquillity.

"Good God, who dreamed up this glass cage?"  Judd grumbled.  , "From what I
heard, the purpose was to give the hospital staff a respite from all the grim
things it has to deal with: ' ' Ignoring her explanation, he said, " When we
leave, let's , use the other exit.  "

Adrienne nodded, but she wondered what had shaken him.  Maybe it was that
caged feeling, but to her the glass gave a sense of openness and light.  As
they entered the annex , she saw him visibly unwind and within a few seconds
the tightness had disappeared.

"So what do you know of Tanya's background?"  Judd asked, picking up on their
earlier conversation.  " " Her mother never marrie<i, but she had a lot of
kids who had different fat hen Tanya doesn't know where hers is.

She's managed quite well, given such a difficult background She's spunky, and
determined that she and Ronnie beat the stereotypes so often attached to the
poor.  She resents it if anyone calls her irresponsible.  " "

Yeah I of that impression.  This kidnapping must make her wonder about her
own instincts.  " , " What do you mean?  "

"I mean that growing up under the circumstanoes you described makes someone
pretty sharp about being fooled: ' " "You sound like you know from
experience.  But you had an abovqaverage upbringing, with parents who loved
you " " " Yeah, I was lucky.  But I've also dealt with a lot of kids who
don't trust the sun to come up tomorrow.  Plus my kid brother-" He cut
himself off as if he'd said too much.

Adrienne frowned.  " " You have a younger brother?  I know you have an older
one, but.  .  " She'd met the Dillons a number of times and she was positive
there'd never been mention of a third son.

"Let's get back to Tanya," he said abruptly and there was no doubt he wished
he hadn't strayed off the subject.  " " As I was saying, I'm surprised some
inner warning about this woman didn't kick in.  "

"Maybe the setting.  A hospital is a pretty secure place.  Maybe Tanya just
assumed, as anyone would, that this woman was only doing her job

"And now Tanya's blaming herself, when the real blame lies with the hospital:
'

Adrienne stopped outside Fairfax's office.  She would never have guessed that
he would truly look at Tanya's emotions as a result of this.  Maybe he did
have some feelings , after all-at least, when it came to his job.

Judd stopped, too.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing.  I'm just pleaseql that you're seeing Tanya as more than just a
woman for a file report: '

"Contrary to popular opinion at headquarters, I'm human at least ten minutes
every year," he said dryly.

She grinned at his sarcasm and said lightly, "I'm so glad you pickeq your ten
minutes for Tanya.  If you'd just fired questions at her, she would have
dissolved.  And by the way, the pillow demonstration was brilliant: '

Judd narrowed his eyes, looking at her so directly, she felt " pinned in
place.  In an even voice, he asked, " What about the way I held the notebook
and poised my pen?  Was that brilliant, too?  Did I lean forward enough?  Did
I pick the right clothes?  Guess it's a good thing I didn't wear old jeans, '
a black shirt and saunter in with a shoulder holster on.  The jacket and
slacks were just the right touch.  "

Adrienne sighed.  So much for trying to get along.  "Can't you just accept a
compliment that's well deserved?"

 "

" I don't do my job for praise and compliments, deserved or otherwise.    "

"Well, forgive me for trying to extend one.  Since we're going to be working
together, I thought it might be appropriate if we spent at least five minutes
not sparring with each ' other."  !  "Professionals do their job," he
snapped.  "I do mine and

I don't need some social worker to make me feel good about it: '

"Dammit, Judd, I'm not a social worker.  I'm a specialist in missing
children.  You are well aware that Child-Aid is a new conoept that takes a
personal approach to the problem rather than a governmental one."

"Fine.  You do your job and I'll do mine and just maybe we can get this kid
back home safe."

Judd opened the outer office door and she walked in ahead of him.  After they
learned from his secretary that Fairfax was at a TV interview and would
return in ten minutes , Judd dropped into a leather chair and sank back in a
relaxed position.  He took his notebook and pen from his inner jacket pocket
and began to flip through it, making notations here and there.

Adrienne sat on the couch and pickerl up a magazine.  She itipped through the
pages without paying attention to their contents.  Although she stayed
silent, she was seething in side.  Why did he have to be such a bastard about
everything she said and did?  She'd never known a man like him , and given
that she'd known him for many years, his uniqueness should have provided some
clues by now.  Then again, he'd shown little need or desire to reveal much
about himself.

Admittedly, during most of the years she'd known him he had been her best
friend's husband, but since he'd lost Diana and Travis, Adrienne figured he
must also have lost a part of himself.  Perhaps at some level, she was
conscious of that, but it didn't seem to stop the futility of hope-her
continually trying to be something he didn't want-somq one he acknowledged
who cared about him.

But perhaps she was using " " caring" to cover up her own duplicitous heart.
For still-despite the three years that had passed since Judd had become a
widower-Adrienne carried a mammoth load of guilt for the way she'd truly felt
about Judd.  For having deep feelings for a man that was marned to her best
friend.

She and Diana had been roommates in college and good friends until Diana's
death.  Adrienne had been Diana's maid of honor and had often baby-sat their
son, Travis.  She'd spent holidays with them and remembered clearly one spq
cial Christmas.  The Christmas when she'd been particularly upset, the awful
year her mother, Rhoda, had taken up with some oily gambler and gone to Las
Vegas with him.  Adrienne was accustomed to her mother's having boyfriends ,
their number was as prolific as bees on a summer day.  But getting used to
them didn't mean liking them-the gambler had been particularly odious.

The frustration of watching Rhoda's pride fall and her mother's bitterness
increase over the years had left Adrienne leery of her own feelings about
love and commitment Even now, she fervently wished that "love" was as
straightforward as it was in the movies-meet, get to know ' each other, share
likes and dislikes, fall in love and marry.

Betrayal wasn't part of the perfect picture and yet Adrienne 's mother had
onoe given her heart.  Rhoda Trudell had been so cruelly betrayed by
Adrienne's father, that Rhoda had actually told her daughter that trust was a
four letter word.  Her mother's experience had made Adrienne more careful of
risking any feelings for a man.  That Christmas, she'd been hurting for her
mother's vain search for love , even though, in some tiny place in her heart,
she had ; wanted, and still did desperately want love to be wonderful and
fulfilling instead of painful and heartbreaking.  She just ' needed to make
sure none of those expectations were connected with Judd Dillon.

Fairfax entered and Adriermte glanced up as Judd rose to his feet.

The hospital administrator was groomed and pressq as if he were about to
model for a pipe-and-fireplace soene in a magazine layout.  His hair was
styled and parted so carq fully, not one strand dared to rebel.  On the hand
he egtended to Judd was a college ring; Adrienne recalled he'd graduated from
Yale.  She'd read a bio on him when he'd first taken the position five years
ago.  " " Detective Dillon, I understand you want to tallc to me, " Fairfax
said.  " I told one of the other offioers and, of course, the local
television news reporters exactly what our procedure here is as to security.
I don't know how repeating it to you will be of any help.  "

"Perhaps you can indulge me," Judd said, and although the quip seemed to have
gone right past Fairfaq, Adrienne didn't miss it.  Judd didn't like waiting
while Fairfax did TV interviews.

2g Dillon's Reckoning Dillon's Reckoning 29 ; Judd turned to Adrienne.  "This
is Ms. Trudell.  She ual moves rather than intelligence.  " What you heard?
knows Tanya and her husband and will be working on the About me?  There has
to be a mistake.  " kidnapping aspect of the case."  q "Why?  Are you afraid
to have a tough-broad reputaFairfax grinned a little too engagingly.  " Well,
you cer- tion?  Don't be.  It can save you from a helluva lot of hasta inly
don't look like you should be doing such unpleasant sle.  " things, Ms.
Trudell.  No, sir."  His eyes slid over her and lin- How strange, she
thought, suddenly at a loss as to what gered on her legs.  The sheer blatancy
of the look made her to say next.  Even though she and Judd worked in the
same certain she was expected to take his perusal as a compli- q poqce
department, they were on separate floors and rarely ment.  " had contact.
She didn't even know many of the officers by " Looks can be deceiving, Mr.
Fairfax, she said sweetly.  nqe on the other floors, and to have them not
only know He'placed a fingeq againstqhis lips in a ho ghtful y - who she was,
but learn that she had magically acquired a ner.  Have you ever danced
Profession y, mean ou qutation for toughness boggled her mind.  remind me of
a young woman I met in Providence last ;

Fairfax indicated seats and they both sat down, their yq' personal
conversation ended.  Not as far as Adrienne was Judd narrowed his eyes, his
voice rough wiqh warning.  "She's never been to the Bubbles and Brew Club,
Fairfaa.  q concerned, however.  She intended to find out from Judd comments.
Ms. Jqt where her " tough-broad reputation" had come from.  And I d suggest
you be careful with your And Judd knew about it.  She didn't think Judd had
ever ZSrudell is very good with her knee."  His gaze lowered to Fairfaz's
impeccably fitted suit pants, especially the zip- given two seconds of time
to think about her, let alone allow himself to listen to others' opinion of
her.  Adrienne hid a smile as Fairfaqc flushed and then hur- Fairfag had
already begun speaking tonelessly about the ed area.  riedly turned toward
his oiiice.  Judd had been a little ez- hospital's approach to what he called
the "Whitewell baby trane, but his comment had effectively shut down any
situation " After giving what sounded like a PR briefing, he further
eye-stripping Iooks at her.  added sternly, " " This was not a lapse in
security, but simply "I'm good with my knee?"  she asked in a whisper only an
unfortunate occurrence.  " Judd could hear as they followed Fairfa: into his
office.  " ThaYs not much comfort to the mother," Judd said.  " Aren't you?
" " But it's necessary that the hospital not show panic.  Of "I don't knoqv.
I've never had to do that: course, we're concerned and you can be assured
this won't " That's not what I heard: happen again.  " Gaping at him, she
grabbed his arm.  She'd always been q " Look, Fairfax, the next time isn't
now.  " While Judd supremely conscious of not sending out anything that could
talked, he made additional notes.  " "Caleb Whitewell has be construed as a
sexual message around the men she en- been taken from the maternity floor
with the slickness of countered at work.  Not only was it unprofessional, it
grease.  A lot of peqple weren't paying attention, if a stranger smacked of
the kind of bimbo mentality that relied on sex- could walk through the halls,
ride the elevators, pass two nurse's stations and then repeat that entire
process again, this time carrying a baby."

"Obviously, the woman looked like a professional."

"Ah, and how would she know how to look professional ?  "

"Idon't know.  How would I know the answer to that?"

 "

" How about if she might have worked here and knew the routine?    "

"Worked here?  In my hospital?  That's impossible."

"Are you acquainted with everyone who's worked here sinoe..  : Judd tapped
his pen on his knee.  " I believe the hospital opened in the late sixties: '

"Certainly I don't know everyone.  I've only been here myself for five years:
' " "Then I suggest you have a somewhat limited knowledge of the former
staff."

Clearly rattled, he finally nodded.  "All right.  I concede your point, but
that still doesn't prove this woman was employed here."

"But it's a logical place to start.  Since the kidnapper didn't conveniently
drop a business card or leave a number where we could reach her, we're stuck
with you: '

"You don't need to be sarcastic: '

"Then get serious.  We're talking about a baby, not a missing bedpan.  What I
want is a list of former employees who were fired or quit.  Tanya said the
woman looked to be in her mid-thirties so fifteen years back should be
enough: '

Adrienne leaned forward.

"Mr.  Fairfax, what about the women who have given birth here?"  she asked.
"I know it sounds remote and iYs probably a huge number of people to
consider, but this woman might be a mother who for some reason wants another
newborn."

Fairfax started to refuse when Adrienne added, "Birth records are public.
You can save us a lot of time and show the public that Seapoint Hospital is
determined to cooperate and get Tanya Whitewell's baby back safely."

"We can get them from City Hall, if you refuse to help , us," Judd commented.

"ThaYs a lot of information," Fairfax conoeded with reluctance "It will take
some time."  i Judd stood.  "Didn't the hospital install a state-of-the-art
computerized system about a year ago?"  he asked, with an ' edge to his
curiosity.  "I recall my father's construction company, along with a number
of businesses and private do non gave substantial donations for its purchase."

Fairfax scowled, obviously realizing Judd wasn't just some rookie.  "Well,
yes, we are computerized."

"Then I'll expect those two lists by eight tomorrow morning.  An officer will
come by and pick them up."  He braced both hands on the shiny mahogany desk
and leaned forward.  "In the meantime, I suggest you put all your credentials
to work and find a better security system.  One that keeps the babies in the
hospital until their mothers take them , home."

Moments later, they wound their way down a carpeted ' hall toward the exit
that avoided the glass-enclosed walkway

"I'm going back to the station," Judd said.  "Leo should , have that sketch
done by now and I want to check on any ; new developments."

"I don't suppose you know if anyone saw the woman outside Seapoint," Adrienne
commented as she hurried to stay apace with his long legs.  "Passersby,
perhaps?"

"The ones we could find have been questioned and I've already requested bus
and cab checks.  Sometimes we get lucky at the routine level."

"What can I do?  I feel like I'm just following you around: '

"You did great with Tanya.  And suggesting we get a list of births might be
the key we need.  You were telling me earlier about Tanya's mother..  .  What
about a family connection to taking the baby?  Jealousy or revenge of some
sort: '

"Offhand, I don't know of any problems, but I can do some checking "

"Good "

They'd followed the walk around to the front of the hospital The face of the
building was of imposing stone softened by ivy that crawled up the sides.
Bushes thrived in weed-free mulch.  Adrienne was about to say she'd talk to
him later, when her attention was drawn to the edge of the mulch.  She walked
a few steps closer.

"Judd, look: '

He frowned and moved to where she had knelt by a baby rattle.

"Remember Tanya mentioned the woman had a blue rattle?"  she said.

For a few seconds, he frowned, as if mentally scrolling back through the
interview with the young mother.  " " Yeah , she did, didn't she?  " Judd
said thoughtfully.  But as Adrienne reached down to pick it up, Judd grabbed
her wrist to stop her.  " Don't touch it: '

"Fingerprints?"  she asked, excitement filling her voice.

"Yeah, we might get a bonus we didn't eqpect."  He glanced back at the path,
then stood to measure the distanoe'If this was the rattle that Tanya saw and
the woman dropped it-for it to be so far from the walk, she either zigDillon
zagged close to the bushes and lost it or she dropped it and it was kicked
aside by someone.  "

Adrienne stared at the rattle, again sensing something familiar.  It was
plastic, shaped like a tiny barbell with thin bands of yellow.  Puzzling over
the familiarity, her mouth fell open in surprise.

My God, she thought.  Of course!  She'd seen a blue rattle among Diana's
things that she'd packed away at Judd's house after the funeral.  If her
recollection was correct, that rattle was a replica of this one.

"You wouldn't have something in your purse we could wrap this in, would you?"
When she didn't answer, he touched her shoulder.  "Adrienne?"

  "

" Oh, I'm sorry.    "

He repeated the question and she took out a plastic pack of tissues.  After
using his pen to slide the rattle from the mulch, Judd carefully folded the
tissues around it.

"I know where I saw it," she said carefully, hating the fact she had to bring
up his wife and son.

"Saw it?  The rattle?  Where?"

In that moment, when she looked at him fully, she wanted to forget what she
knew.  Or at the very least, she wished she hadn't said anything, not until
she could check with the hospital to be absolutely sure.  But she was sure.
She knew it as well as she knew her name.  But telling Judd.  .  , In as even
a voice as she could muster, she said, "When I came over to pack up Diana's
and ZYavis's things, there was a box of stuff that Diana had saved from when
Travis was born.  In the box was a blue rattle just like this one."

Judd was silent, staring down at the small object as if someone had just
presented him with a time bomb.  ' Adrienne got to her feet and wished she
had the right to put her arms around 'him and soothe him, but she didn't.

She knew he would only stiffen and draw away.

Finally, as if unable to escape the painful yet potentially valuable source
of information, he said, "Travis was born in this hospital.  It would be
eight years ago this November .  I remember that Diana had a lot of stuff
when she came home.  Formula samples, disposable diapers-that sort of thing: '

"Yes, most hospitals routinely give out newborn packets The rattle might have
been included."

He nodded and looked away, physically gathering his professionalism into
place.  "Okay, then Tanya should have recognized it.  In other words, she
would have had one."

"Maybe they changed the packets.  Why don't you let me check on it "

"Yeah, why don't you do that," he said in a gruff voice.  He slipped the
rattle into his pocket.  " " In the meantime, I'll drop this at the lab and
then- " He took her arm and led her back to the path.  " Never mind: '

But she guessed what he had been about to say.  He was going to go to the
house and look for Travis's rattle.

Adrienne swallowed.  Looking through that box meant handling his son's
things, dealing with suppressed memories , walking through the rooms of the
empty house, the house he hadn't been in for three years.

He raised an eyebrow and she knew he had read her thoughts.  "You're too damn
smart, you know that?"

" " It was a logical conclusion.   You want to get that baby back safely and
if that means searching through your son's things for a rattle, then you're
going to do it: '

"Stop crediting me with some inner strength I don't have," he said harshly.

Good grief, was every reaction she had the wrong one?

"I'll go with you," she said firmly.  At his dark look, she quickly added.
"You don't know where I put everything,

Judd.  My being there will save us some time.  "

' "Afraid I can't handle it?"

Adrienne recalled with far too much clarity the broken man gripped with a
black fury she'd met when she'd gone ' to the house a few days after the
funeral to see if there was ' anything she could do.

He'd looked at her that day with a raw pain and had growled a response that
had torn at her heart.  "Yeah, give me a good reason to keep on living."

Now she hoped her expression didn't reveal that memory' Of course I know you
can handle it.  "

"Bull: '

She lifted her chin.  "If I were your partner, this wouldn't even be an
issue."

"But you're not, Adrienne.  And that is definitely the issue"

"Because I was Diana's best friend?"

" " No, because I took you to bed a year ago and used sex to try and forget
my dead wife and son: '

Chapter 3

qit his desk at the Seapoint police station, Judd gripped the phone.  Laid
out in front of him was the information on the Whitewell case and there were
still too many missing pieces.

He kept looking at the clock and wondering about the baby; he knew from too
many police reports that the woman 's motive for taking the infant would be a
huge factor in how safe the infant remained.  Time was of the essence.  The
longer Caleb Whitewell was missing the greater the possibility of not getting
him back safely.

Mike Shelby, one of the officers on the case, took Judd's call.  "What have
you got at your end?"  Mike asked.

"So far, damn little," Judd said in disgust.  "No cab picked her up and the
bus driver doesn't remember a woman with a baby."

"ThaYs what Carmichael reported.  He also talked to Ronnie Whitewell.  Kid is
really shook up and nothing we have indicates he might be involved.
Carmichael said he doubts either of the parents knew anything about this: '

"Yeah, for some reason, though, that seems too simple and obvious.  Leo has
the sketch done and we're getting it out.  Have Carmichael show it to the bus
driver and see if it jogs anything: ' !  " "Gotcha: '

"In the meantime, we have to figure the suspect either had a car or she
walked," Judd said.  "Vehicle m or plate number would be nire."

"So would having her stop a cop and turn the baby over "

Judd took a sip of his cooled coffee and grimaced.

Mike chuckled.  "How is it we always hope for the easy break?"

"Probably from wishing this was a TV drama instead of real life."

"Yeah, probably.  You mentioned earlier the rattle you and Adrienne found.
Any prints that are usable?"

"Don't know yet: '

"Judd, what's your gut sense on this one?"

"Uneasiness.  This woman's just boldly going into the hospital and walking
out with a baby tells me she's either very smart or not smart enough to know
how risky that was: '

"So we either have a brilliant kidnapper or a very stupid one.qq

"Or we have a psycho," Judd said.

Moments of silenoe followed.  "III get back to you after

Carmichael shows the sketch to the bus driver," Mike said.  ' " Don't forget
to pick up those lists from Fairfaz over at the hospital.  He's expecting you
about eight in the morning Judd said.  "I've got to follow up on something,
so if

I'm not here, leave a message.  "

"Sure."

Judd hung up and once again glanced at the clock.  Five houn since the
reported kidnapping.  Five hours, he knew could put a lot of distance between
Seapoint and where the baby was right now.  Before the phone call, Judd had
met with others in the department to hash over past cases involving infants.
Sifting through the details often showed similar patterns.

Thankfully, those involving babies were the exception rather than the rule,
but what deeply concerned Judd was that the cases-and their related
findings-in the past few years were so far-flung and bizarre: a black market
for babies had been uncovered, along with, some psycho cases where the
kidnapper had believed it a mission to save babies from some perceived danger.

Judd had worked on one where a woman had kidnapped two babies for the purpose
of saving them from inner-city air pollution.  Through some lucky tips, the
infants had finally been found, crying but safe, in an old abandoned bomb
shelter from the fifties.  The woman had left them to go and get another
child.

Judd recalled going home and telling Diana that he thought he'd seen
everything.  Diana had shown much more sympathy than Judd thought the
kidnapper deserved-not empathy for what the woman had done, but sympathy for
what a hornble life the woman must have had to resort to kidnapping and not
know how wrong it was.

Oddly, Diana's determination to see more than just the surface circumstances
reminded him too much of Adrienne Maybe because the two women had been
friends since college and tended to share the same willingness to understand
the emotions and motives that drove people to do things.  Adrienne's work in
Child-Aid certainly bore out that fact.

Resigning himself to working with Adrienne on this case without making any
attempt to change the assignment puzzled

Judd.  He had enough clout in the department that if he'd submitted a request
to his superiors, they would likely have granted it.  Judd's detective work
had been flawless in the past, and if anything, he'd worked too hard and was
too generous with his skills and expertise.

If ever there was a situation that begged for him to ask for special
consideration, his past relationship with Adrienne would certainly qualify.
But to use a personal issue meant ; he'd have to reveal the "why" of his
hesitation, and that he wouldn't do.

First, it was no one's business and second, it could hurt

Adrienne professionally as well as endanger the Child-Aid project within the
department.  Their assistant director doing a onqnight stand with the cold
and aloof Judd Dillon would feed the inter department gossip grapevine for
months.

Putting aside the personal reason, he had no legitimate or ; professional
excuse for refusing to work with her; she was eminently qualified.  She'd
proven that this afternoon.  Her ' knowledge of the Whitewell family,
especially Tanya, her ; heads-up thinking on getting the birth records and,
of course, the blue rattle.

A fluke or the wind of fate, but with all the endless range of possible
clues, Judd would never have thought his dead son and this missing infant
would have had a connection.

One small blue rattle and Adrienne's recognition of it had churned his
insides into painful knots.  The cop part of him rejoiced at what could be a
vital link to identifying the kidnapper I Yet the other side of him resisted
going back to the house and looking through boxes for Travis's rattle.

Hell, he didn't even recall the blue rattle, but he did rq i call too many
other things.  The old pain as well as the good memories were locked in those
rooms.  A week after the funeral, he'd simply walked out of the house he'd
shared with Diana and Travis and had never returned.

Adrienne had volunteered to pack away all of Diana' sand Travis' sthings in
the hope that the house would be easier for Judd to deal with.

But it wasn't the house, it was the reminders and the smells and the noise
that lived in the walls.  Travis's pride over his drawings on the
refrigerator and his determination to ride his two-wheql bike without
training wheels.  Diana humming the classical music that she loved and the
woolly scent of yarn in the needlepoint she created.  The third stair that
squeaked so that when Judd came in late, he'd automatically skip it, not
wanting to wake anyone.  The holidays with their rushed meals and mistletoe
everywhere; the summer days of pools and picnics and tiny vases of pansies in
every room.  And finally, the empty, hollow loneliness of grief after his
wife and son were dead.

He scrubbed his hands down his face, cursing himself for allowing the
memories to slide back into the light of the present.  Sighing, he decided he
might as well get this over with.  He might even find that the three years
had done what time was supposed to do-give him some sense that he'd gotten
beyond the tragedy, that his life was streaming along and that Diana and
Travis were a finality, a horror that he'd put firmly into his yesterdays.

Judd took a breath and stood.  He reached for his jacket and had just
shrugged into it, when Adrienne wove through the desks and stopped at his.
Immediately, he thought of sunshine on a dismal day.

"You afraid I was going to duck out without you?"  he asked, suddenly wishing
he had.  Perhaps going to the house by himself would be best.  Then, if he
fell apart, no would see him but the ghosts.  " " I just thought I'd save you
a trip upstairs: '

"Always the sweet, considerate lady, aren't you?"

Obviously aware of his sarcasm, she asked pleasantly, " " Would you rather I
be a snarling bitch?  "

"It would be a helluva lot easier to ignore you: '

She tipped her head to the side, determined not to be cowed by insults.  ""
You know what your problem is?  "

"I'm stuck with the one woman I don't want to be stuck with?"

She fiddled with putting his pencils and pens into the cracked coffee mug
holder.  With a resolve that frankly surprised him, she said, "You're making
too much out of a single night: '

For too many drawn-out seconds, he stared at her.  She was exactly right, but
what was even worse was that he was using that "single night," as she called
it, as a reason to remind her he didn't like working with her.  He wondered
if he was being sexist or just a lousy bastard.

Probably both, he mused grimly.  Yet, she'd brought it up and maybe she was
right.  One single night was hardly a big deal, and obviously she'd put it
behind her.  If he really wanted to do the same, why did he keep thinking
about it as if it had some long-lasting meaning?

"I.et's get out of here."  He came around his desk and steered her into the
corridor, down the stairs and outside to the parking lot where his car was
parked.  He unlocked the passenger door for her, walkerl around to the other
side and then slid behind the wheel.  Starting the car and driving out of the
lot, he said, "I owe you an apology."

"Yes, you do."

He chuckled.  "At least we agree on that.  It's about a year too late, but my
behavior that night was outrageous."

She was quiet for a moment and he got the strangest feeling he'd apologized
for the wrong thing.  Then she said, "That sounds as if you forced me."

"

" Forced seduction.   "

"Judd, there's no such thing as forced seduction."

"Dammit, Adrienne, don't pretty it up.  Sure, I was fighting some demons and
yes, I was damn lonely and feeling sorry for myself, but that doesn't excuse
what happened Suddenly, there you were.  I wanted you and I set out to get
you into bed.  Maybe because you were Diana's best friend and sex with you
made me feel as if she weren't dead.  Maybe because too much Scotch in a bar
seated beside a sweet-smelling woman made me too damn horny.  Maybe because
back then I was more of a bastard than I was anything else."

Judd caught a glance of her widened eyes from the corner of his own and told
himself he should have done this a long time ago.  Why in hell, he wondered,
was it always so tough for him to apologize on a personal level?  In his
work, when he made a mistake, he acknowledged it and learned from it.  But
that night with Adrienne hadn't been just a mistake, it had been an
impropriety that he wished fervently had never happened.

But she refused to agree with him.  "What happened bq tweqn us happened
because I was just as willing as you were."

" " Uh-huh," he said skeptically.   " "You came there to meet a boyfriend
for dinner.   When he called and said he would have to cancel, you just
shifted gears and decided to go to bed with me?   "

"No, of course not."

"Obviously, at some point that evening, you made that decision.  We went to
your apartment and we had sex."

" " Yes, but- " " " Is that your usual routine when one date falls through?
Just pick up another one?"

She turned fully in the seat and glared at him.  "Maybe I wanted you.  Maybe
I was lonely and feeling sorry for myself Maybe I was madly in love with you.
Maybe I used you.  Did you ever think of any of those reasons?"

"No."

" " Why?   Because you don't want to think a woman would do something like
that?   Because Diana never would?   Well

I'm not Diana.  Maybe that's why we were such good friends.  We were exact
opposites.  I watched men use my , mother and watched her get suckered into
lousy relationships She told me all about totally trusting a man and then
finding out he neither wanted you or your trust.  My father did that to my
mother and she never recovered from it.  It's not going to happen to me.  "
She turned away and stared out the windshield.  " I knew you and I wanted to
sleep with you.

I don't see why I have to explain that any more than you do.  "

Judd was speechless, but mostly he wondered how he could possibly have missed
this far et of her that night.  He hadn't had that much Scotch.  In fact, he
vaguely recalled a fear, at one point, that she would take the night too
serij ously.  Had she felt that way or had he just drawn an egotistical male
conclusion?  "Look, maybe I don't know you as j well as I thought: '

"No, you don't: '

Pushing her for a deeper explanation, he said, "But you ' can't deny that you
didn't come across as some woman just , looking for a good time."

"Why?  Because I didn't drape myself all over you?  Be !  cause I didn't talk
dirty?  Some of us aren't that obvious " i she said stiffly.

Judd drove past the city limits, hardly aware of where he was going.  He kept
casting sideways glanoes at Adrienne, his mind suddenly swirling with new
questions about her and about what had happened that night.

Had he been that blind to her responses?

Was his own hang-up about sleeping with his wife's best friend so front and
center in his mind that he'd made himself believe his hormones had clouded
his good sense?

Scowling, he faced the sexist side of the issue.  "Look, if I've offended
you, I'm sorry.  You have a perfect right to your own reasons for doing what
you did.  I just thought we should lay the cards on the table rather than
tiptoe around what could be an uncomfortable subject."

"I'm not uncomfortable with it, you are: '

He shrugged.  "Guess I don't have any more reason to be , do I?  Hell, if you
can view that night as nothing to complicate our working together, I can,
too: '

But could he?  Some gut instinct told him that day-by-day contact with
Adrienne Trudell was going to be hellishly complicated.

Liar.  Liar.  Liar.

The word repeated itself in her head like some wagging finger of accusation.
And yet, given the alternative choioes.  .

Accept the apology, when she'd known that "forced seduction " was a thousand
light-years from the truth?  Or perhaps she should have refused to accept his
obvious distress over what had happened and admitted the truth?  Her heart
nearly stopped at the thought.

She had been in love with Judd.  Foolishly, crazily and guiltily.  She wished
she could acknowledge that the emotion had come upon her after Diana's death,
but truthfully, she'd been secretly in love with Judd for more than two years
before Diana had been killed.  She sincerely doubted Diana had ever guessed,
but the fear that she might had prompted Adrienne to quit visiting at the
house when Judd i was home.  She had been terrified that she would give
herself away.  Oh, not by any overt action or flirtatious silliness , but
because she knew her feelings showed in her eyes to anyone who cared to look.
And because she didn't trust her ability to hide those emotions, she had
stayed away.

Once, when she'd run into Judd in town and he'd asked ' why she was such a
stranger, she'd mumbled some lame excuse about work and a new boyfriend, but
her heart had been pumping and she'd been petrified he'd see through the lie.
Yet he'd just nodded and commented on how lucky her boyfriend was, before
climbing into his car and driving away.  , A year ago, the night they'd
unexpectedly met, she had encountered a side of Judd she'd never seqn-dark
and sexually intense.  She'd gone from astonished to fascinated , and from
there to an eager willingness to go to the ends of earth with him if he'd
asked.

He'd dropped an arm around her as if they were old and intimate friends.
They'd danced when the song was a smoky I ballad about kissing and making out
and making the night last till the morning light.  He'd held her against him
as if that was where she belonged and he'd whispered the for ' bidden words
of all her fantasies.

The practical side of her had known his behavior was the result of a
combination of liquor, darkness and loneliness and maybe a need to release
pent-up tension with someone i he felt safe with.  Yet Adrienne hadn't felt
cautious.  She'd !  been reckless and a little wanton and had reveled in
finally !  being able to express what she felt for him in ways she'd ' never
dreamed possible.  , ,

In the hours that followed at her apartment, she d thought it a dream, an
impossibly wonderful night that might be the beginning for them.  Instead,
the perfect lovo making began and ended in those hours, leaving her bereft,
confused and finally furious with her own vulnerability.  Never again would
she allow her heart to be so open, her emotions so defenseless.  Never again
would she place herself in a situation where her very being was susceptible
to so much pain.

But that was a long time ago and meaningless now, she told herself firmly as
Judd turned into the circular driveway in front of the sprawling two-story
colonial house.

Glancing around, Adrienne had expected the landscape to be overgrown and the
house to look deserted.  On the contrary, it looked lived in and cared for.
An empty house and deserted grounds had been as carefully tended as it had
been when Diana and Travis were alive.

"I keep telling myself I should sell it," he commented as if reading her
mind.  " " But every time I start to call a realtor , I can't bring myself to
do it "

"Everything and everyone you loved was here.  It's understandable why selling
to some stranger would be difficult : '

He didn't agree or disagree, but said, "On the other hand I don't want the
place to look neglected and run-down, in case I do decide to sell."  He
pushed open the car door.  "Come on, let's get this over with."

Side by side, they walked up the gravel walk to a small porch, where Adrienne
recalled standing nervously the day she'd come to pack up Diana's and
Travis's things.  She'd known that Judd was home.  But she hadn't known
whether she should just take charge or seek him out and ask what exactly he
wanted done with the things onoe they were in boxes.

In the end, she'd packed and sealed the boxes and moved them all to the guest
bedroom, where she'd slept on the few occasions when she'd stayed overnight.

Now Judd unlocked the front door, then turneq slightly to her, obviously
reman bering that day yean ago when he'd dragged the door open and gestured
that she come in, without even asking why.

With his eyes searching her faoe, he asked, "How did you know I needed you
that day?"

Adrienne blinked at the way he'd phrased the question and then shook off the
wave of feeling.  Ancient reactions, she reminded herself.  I.  ong ago,
she'd stopped wanting what he was never going to give her.

"After the funeral, I wanted to do something," she said softly.  For you, she
added silently.  "Back when Diana and I were in college, a student died after
an overdose of drugs.  Her parents came and they were so upset, neither of
them could go into their daughter's dorm room.  Diana and I volunteered to
pack everything up and send it to them.  I,ater, we talked about how sudden
death makes facing the finality much harder than if the death is expected.
College philosophy , I suppose, but after the car accident, and after I saw
you, I knew you were too devastated to deal with the things that held so many
reminders of Diana and Travis: ' " "You were a good friend to Diana,
Adrienne.  And when she was gone, you were a good friend to me."

Adrienne felt a rush of guilt.  Haq she been a good friend because she'd
loved Judd?  If that was a possibility, then she had to seriously look at all
the motives that had followed including why she had gone there to pack up
Diana's personal things.

She shook off the dark possibilities and started for the stairway.  "Would
you rather I get the rattle and bring it down?"

"IYs beqn three years.  You don't have to protect me," he said, gesturing
that she should go first up the stairs.

"I know this isn't easy "

"Hell, little in life is.  Watch the third step.  It squeaks."

She carefully stepped on the riser and predictably it sounded out its
protestation.  Laughing, she said, "Maybe the same carpenter worked on the
building where I live.  I have a floorboard in my apartment that does the
same thing."

And in that precise instant, realizing the implications of her words, she
damned her loose tongue.  Since he was behind her, she couldn't see his
expressxon, but the seconds of silence spoke volumes.  Maybe he would just
ignore it.  Oh, God, please.  .

But he didn't.  "Between the bed and the dresser, isn't it?"

Her face felt tight and her hands were suddenly cold.  "qYes."

"Makes it tough for a guy to leave quietly."

Since she still couldn't see his expression, she didn't know if he was truly
treating his exit that morning as "no big deal" or just another potential
hazard of a ono-night stand.

Clearing her throat and hoping she sounded breqzily calm, she said, Yes, it
does.

"So you knew I was leaving before I was out of the apartment," he surmised,
and she didn't miss the resigned tone.  This time, she heard some regret and
felt a rush of warmth.

Suddenly, she felt bad for him, sorry that he was shouldering all the blame
for a night that she'd been as much a part of as he'd been.  "I probably
would have done the same thing if we'd gone to your place."

From the stairway, they walked duwn the carpeted upstairs hall.  The second
floor had a cool, sterile and empty smell, the silence of many seasons hidden
within the walls giving off an eerie sense that life and noise would be harsh
and careless and disturb the solemnity of the past.

Judd touched her arm and turned her so that she had to , look at him.  "You
duck out of something sticky?  I don't think so.  Why didn't you say
something to me that morn " "You mean try and stop you from leaving?  Make
you feel guilty?"  She shook her head.  "Judd, you don't duck the tough
stuff, either.  I figured you left because you were afraid if you stayed, I'd
make assumptions about a relationship."

"No matter how you excuse it, Adrienne, it was a cowardly way out: He
hesitateq near the guest bedroom, where the boges were.  " I almost called
you: '

She froze.  She shouldn't ask, she shouldn't want to know.  qqy qq,t you?  ,q

"I don't know," he said wistfully.  "Maybe I was afraid you d say what I
deserved to hear-go to hell, Judd: '

She recalled too vividly how she'd felt not just that day ' but for weeks,
even months to come.  Hurt and foolish and i disappointed and more determined
than ever that he would never know how much that night had meant to her.  She
would not do as her mother had done: open herself up to j unrelenting hurt by
trusting her qotions and feelings as if ; they were a surefire gauge of love
given and received.  !  But now, for reasons that escaped her, she was
allowing ' all those past sentiments to storm back into her life as if they'd
never been put aside.  Well, they had been put aside ; as they should have
been.  Judd wanted nothing from her and it was time she reminded herself of
that.

"You're right," she said coolly.  "I probably would have told you ezactly
that: '

Adrienne walked ahead of Judd into the guest bedroom.

Most of the room was filled with the stacked boxes she'd put there yean ago.
She'd placed them so a walkway between made them all acoessible, but the
close quarters made moving precarious, aq best.

Adrienne had marked the boxes, but she didn't recall He grabbed her and
pulled her against him as a second which one contained the baby rattle.  Now
squeezing bq q stack of boxes teetered and finally fell around them,
traptween the stacked cartons, combined with feeling the frusping them.  In
the sudden melee, she ended up sprawled trating anxiety of once again having
to face the seqmingly across the sheet-shrouded bed, with Judd on top of her.
endless memories, had frayed her nerves.  His leg was too intimately
positioned.  Her skirt had Judd barely said anything.  Whenever she glanoed
at his twisted up so that the garter and top of her hose pressed into face,
he either looked grim or so tightly controlled, she q the zipper of his
pants.  He'd managed to cushion her fall , guessed it was taking just about
all his willpower not to run but that, in effect, had sealed one of his arms
beneath her from the room.  and forced her face into his neck.  After twenty
minutes of searching and no progress, he Neither moved.  snapped, "For God's
sake, Adrienne, are you sure you Judd cursed and Adrienne forced herself to
lie perfectly packed that rattle?"  still, praying he couldn't feel her heart
slamming into his " " Yes: , chest.  " " Maybe you threw it out " q In what
felt Iike forever, he lifted his head and stared " "I would never have taken
the liberty of throwing any- down at her.  " "You okay?"  thing away before
checking with you: qqI q so.  " Judd had been moving the boxes they'd checked
through , Guess box stacking isn't one of my talents," he said, g q making no
effort to move.  and restackin them, but not too carefully.  Adrienne
steadied one that was about to tip over.  No, I guess not.  ' He stared into
her eyes and she stared back, the heat beIeaning against one of the stacks of
cartons, he surveyed ; the ones not yet opened.  "Well, it's not in any of
the ones q'q qem searingly evident, the tension thick in the air.  " I
Adrienne tried to look away, but couldn't.  She was you thought it was in.  ,
1 trapped by that smoky green gaze that had never lost the Adrienne brushed a
wisp of hair off her face.  She d dis- q qwer to mesmerize her.  , carded her
jacket, as had Judd.  He d rolled his shirtsleeves q Judd murmured, "This is
dangerous, you and me like up and she was too aware of the three open buttons
on his qs."  shirt.  Her blouse stuck to her and she wanted to blame the g g
, ; She drew a long breath, wishin she had the coura e to stitling August
heat in the room, but knew it wasn t just the j slide her arms around him.
temperature getting to her.  q "You feel like you did that night," he
whispered with She opened another box and as she began to go through q
seeniqg reluctance.  His eyes seemed to say that this was the its contents,
she glanced over her shoulder.  "Look, I know I most logical and truthful
admission he'd made all da.  this is difficult for you.  Why don' tyou- " But
before she q " " Scared and nervous and not sure what to do.  " y got the
rest of the sentence out, the boxes that he'd stacked q " I wanted to make
you happy," she said with a catch in toppled.  q..  her breathing.

"

" You made me hard: '

She turned her head to the side, not embarrassed as much as unsure how to
respond.  " " Like right now, Adrienne.  "

"I'm sorry..  : '

"For what?  For being a woman?  Don't be silly."

"There's nothing between us except that one night: ' " "So if I kiss you, it
won't mean anything: '

"No, it won't mean anything at all," she said stiffly.

He cupped her chin and held her face steady while he lowered his mouth and
kissed her cheeks.  Then he brushed his mouth softly across hers.  Adrienne
was so rattled, she could barely respond.

Judd scowled and then lowered his head once again, this time taking her mouth
fully.  Adrienne felt something inside of her awakening, and without giving
her actions any second thoughts, she slid her arms around him.

He shaped her mouth with his, gliding his tongue into hers on a foray of
taste and sweet experiments.

Adrienne's heart raced and she started to panic.  What was she opening
herself up to?  Hurt and disappointment were the only things her heart would
gain as a result of this.  Judd had said the kiss wouldn't mean anything and
she agreed.  So why was she lying here like some desperate woman hungry for
something she could never have?

But before she could push him away, he rolled away from her.  In one easy
motion, he got to his feet and cursed again.  Adrienne scrambled off the bed
and frantically tried to straighten her clothes.  She grabbed her jacket and
there, in the corner amid the scattered boxes, lay the blue rattle.

She reached down and picked it up, calming her breathing with a force of will.

"Judd?"

He turned around and she showed him the rattle.

He stared at it as if it had been deliberately hiding until after they'd
kissed.  "Is it the same as the one you found at the hospital?"

"Yes..  .  I mean, it sure looks like it: '

He didn't come near her or ask to look more closely at the rattle.  Instead,
he moved to the door, then gestured for her to follow.  "Come on, let's get
the hell out of here."

 "

" But the boxes- "

"Forget them.  With any luck, maybe we can forget what jnst happened between
us as easily."

By six the following morning, Judd was at his desk, a mug of strong black
coffee at his elbow.  Tired after a night of little sleep, he'd finally
decided to come in early and check on any overnight developments in the
Whitewell case.

Not a whole helluva lot, he thought in disgust as he went over what they
knew.  The police sketch of the suspect had been aired on the TV news shows
and was to run in the newspapers.

Judd had stopped by the hospital late yesterday afternoon in the hopes that
showing the sketch to the staff might prove lucky and someone might m it.

" vvv, vuv ivvnq u ivq iinv uiq qq iv v vq..wq, q ployee had said stoically,
" but she's not.  This lady is too skinny.  "

Another was adamant that the sketch resembled a now deceased woman who had
appeared on one of the soaps.  The others who had seen it either hadn't
recognized it or had said the sketch was too plain and the woman too bland.
Leo,

the police artist, however, was too good to miss any salient details.  In
fact, he'd told Judd that Tanya had said over and over again that there
weren't any distinguishing marks.

But when one of the nurses in maternity had looked at the i sketch, she'd
said something that had made Judd think twice.

"She looks too plastic," the nurse had remarked.  "Like , a generic picture.
If I were asked to put together the features of an average middle-aged woman
who was colorless and easily missed, this sketch would be a great example to
follow."

"Easily missed" had stuck in Judd's mind.  Maybe their suspect had gone to a
lot of trouble to be perceived as plain-no makeup, uninteresting hair color,
low-key personality

Judd thought of Adrienne and how striking she was, but also how she didn't
work at it.  She drew second looks not just because of her spectacular legs
that Fairfax had boldly noted, but because of her expressive eyes, her warm
smile ; I and the sense she exuded that knowing her would be a pleasant
experience.  It was one of the things that fascinated him about her.

Judd tapped his pen thoughtfully.  Why in hell couldn't he shake out his
thoughts about one Adrienne Trudell?  He didn't want to be fascinated by her
or curious or in any way preoccupied with her.  But instead of firmly holding
a spot q qqvqqauq pare oi nis nIe.  t.  ixe now, for God's sake when he was
supposed to be working.

Forcing his thoughts back to the case, he once again focused on what the
nurse had said about the woman.

Easily missed.

Obviously, that was the reason the woman hadn't been stopped when she took
the baby.  She'd made herself practically invisible.  What Judd wondered was
whether practically invisible was the way she normally looked, or if she
really had gone to a lot of trouble to make herself appear that way.  Chances
were, he was dealing with a very smart woman who didn't ignore appearances or
perceptions.  It was a tiny piece of insight, but he tucked it away in his
mind for further reference.

An interview with Ronnie and Tanya Whitewell that one of the other officers
had conducted revealed nothing in the way of new information about their
missing baby or the mystery woman.  But the biggest disappointment had been
the fingerprint report on the blue rattle.

Finding the object in the bushes had raised his hopes.  Professionally, he
knew better than to count on such a quick break.  Yet he knew carelessness
existed in most crimes; the key was finding where the screw up was.  Only on
television did the culprit mess up on cue.

Judd read through the print expert's analysis, short as it was, but the
conclusion left him with a dead end.  The print was too smeared to be
identifiable.

The lists of hospital workers and new mothers from the past five years would
be in this morning, but he feared that even when they'd narrowed the lists to
potential suspects, they could still pass over the woman because they didn't
have a name to start with.

He shoved his chair back and stood.  Moving over to the coffee machine, he
poured himself his third mug.  His head throbbed and his eyes were gritty
from no sleep the previous night.  He wasn't sure whether the cause was the
worrisome case or Adrienne Trudell.

Kissing her, Judd decided, had to be the worst thing he could have done.  Not
that he hadn't enjoyed it or remembered all too clearly what the kisses on
the night they'd shared a year ago had been like-that was the problem.  He
remembered too damn much.  Still, he knew better than to allow himself to get
tangled up in any kind of relationship -sexual or otherwise.

For one thing, getting involved personally with someone he was worlang with
was bad news all its own.  Not only did the department discourage such
liaisons, but Judd had witnessed the inherent dangers when a former partner
had allowed a personal relationship with a co-worker to interfere with work.
Dan had been preoccupied and was eventually taken off a case when it was
learned that some vital evidence in a homicide case was missing.  Missing
because Dan had been thinking about his date the night before instead of
conoentrating on his job.

Judd dumped a packet of sugar into the hot liquid and stirred.  Not for a
moment could he deny that he'd been thinking too much about that kiss, and
worse, too much about Adrienne.  But what bothered him was why.  Kissing a
woman was hardly a new experience for him, although he rarely did it
impulsively.  And he always kept himself under control so that no
expectations were unknowingly created, no hope given to the woman that a kiss
automatically meant moving to the next step.

Maybe he was overreacting.  He'd been involved with damn few women since
Diana's death, but then again one of those women had been Adrienne.

"Going to bed with Adrienne was one of your dumber moves Dillon," he muttered
to himself as he stirred in a second packet of sugar.  Sure, it had been only
one night, but the ntb was that-try as he might-he'd never quite forgotlqen
it.  However, he reminded himself firmly, his sharp and qsitized memory could
claim extenuating circumstances.  Adrienne had always had close ties to him
because of her q'iendship with Diana.  That automatically lifted her from
quick lay on a lonely night into another category altogether

What that something else was, he didn't know.  A friend?  An acquaintance?
Should he act casual now?  Distant?  Indifferent ?  It was like feeling his
way through a dark alley and not knowing which shadow hid the gun and bullet
aimed at his head.

Being assigned to work together on the Whitewell case, plus going back to the
house- My God, no wonder he'd been unable to sleep last night.  All the
sudden and disturbing events had rocked him badly, the house especially.  Not
only had the recollections of Diana and Travis shaken him, but the growing
certainty of Adrienne's effect on him had knocked him for a loop.  With
Adrienne, even the memories of the past were more complicated.

He should, however, credit himself for keeping his distanoe from her ever
since Child-Aid had created an office in the police station.  Wisely, he'd
had nothing to do with her, despite his being so aware that she was just
upstairs.  Ignoring her now, of course, was no longer possible, but he damn
well could keep his feelings about her under control.  Stay focused on the
job and get it successfully completed, he told himself.  God knows the case
was enough to deal with in the days ahead

Judd gripped his coffee mug and started to turn around, when he sensed
someone behind him.  He swung just a little too quickly and slopped the
liquid.

"Damn," he muttered as he wiped his hands on some napkins.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Adrienne said quickly.

Was she kidding?  He was beginning to feel startled every time she came
within twenty feet of him.  "I should have heard you," he grumbled, hating
that she'd caught him off guard.

DqIlon's Reckoning 59

"I've been here a few moments.  You were deep in thought: '

About you, he wanted to say, but kept silent.  He wasn't about to tell her
that.  He tossed the wet napkins into the trash and gave her a cursory
glance.  She wore slacks and a tailored blouse with a necktie and a jacket.
She'd tucked her hair up in some complicated style that he guessed was to
complete the professional look that began with the necktie.  Instantly, he
wanted to take her hair down and tell her to get rid of the tie.  Women who
wore them annoyed the hell out of him.  He liked women to look like women,
not like-he cut off his thoughts.  Dammit, man, get your mind on why she's
here.  What she wears is totally irrelevant.  He moved around her and sat
down at his desk.

"What are you doing at work so early?"  he asked in a gruff voice.  " " I
thought your office opened at nine.  "

"It does, but I wanted to organize some information: ' She stood behind the
chair beside his desk.  " "I might ask you the same question.  Judging from
the level of the coffee in the carafe, I'd say you've been here a while."

"Don't you know good cops never sleep?"

"I thought it was the city that never sleeps."

He sat back and gave her a direct look.  Her eyes were bright, her skin dewy
fresh, her attitude alert.  Obviously, she hadn't dwelt on the effects of
their kiss.  Then again, maybe she hadn't been affected at all.  "Well, you
sure don't look as if you had a sleepless night: '

She tipped her head to the side and frowned.  "How do you manage to make what
should be a compliment sound like it's not?"

"Practice.  I stay up all night thinking them up."  He inqlicated the sheaf
of pa pen she held.  "Is that the information you came down to organize?"

She placed the papers on the desk and hung her white leather bag on the back
of the chair.  "As a matter of fact, it is.  Do you mind if I get some coffee
first?"

"Sit down, I'll get it for you.  How do you want it?"  "

" Black: '

He went to the coffee machine and poured her a cup.  "IYs a good thing you
did come in early.  By late morning, drinking this stuff black is like
consuming hazardous waste."

She crossed her legs and with a touch of amused sarcasm , said, " " Hmm, and
I've always been particularly fond of coffee that tastes like hazardous
waste.  "

He grinned and she smiled back as he set the mug on the desk.

"You're quick, Ms. Zirudell."

"Have to be, Detective Dillon.  You tend to keep everyone on their toes "

He sank into his own chair, leaned back and planted his booted foot on the
lower drawer.  Adrienne sipped her coffee and then, with businesslike
demeanor, she sat forward, her back straight, her hands busy with the papers.
Judd notioed that her fingernails were a dark red today rather than the pink
he recalled from yesterday.  He also noted that one fingernail was broken.
Had it happened at the house when he'd grabbed her to keep the boxes from
hitting her?  She'd been in the prooess of opening a bog.  Perhaps she'd
snagged and torn.  .

Dammit, he was doing it again.  He should be able to conoentrate for more
then five seconds on something bosides personal knowledge of Adrienne
Trudell.  " " Are you okay?  " she asked with an uneasiness in her voioe.  "
I know I kind of barged in on you, but-"

"I'm fine," he snapped irntably.  "You work here, for God's sake.  How could
you be barging in?"

Stiffening, she set her coffee aside, gathered the papers and stood.  "I'll
come back later."

Judd frowned.  He sure as hell didn't intend to come across as some
overbearing type of cop.  "Sit down, Adrii enne."

Instead, she slung her purse onto her shoulder, clutched the papers and gave
him a withering look.

Judd sighed.  He didn't need a battle of the wills.  "All riqht, all right.
I'm sorry I snapped at you "

She thawed, but not by much.  "IYs not that simple.

You've made it clear you resent my having been assigned to work with you, but
if you t ink I'm going to spend the time walking on eggshells or apologizing
for being a female or.  " '1 She took a determined breath.  " Or even for a
one-night stand that means nothing to either of us, well, I'm not and you're
wrong: ' ' Judd shook his head, not even attempting to sort all of that out.
He held his hands up, palms facing her.  "Truce,

After glaring at him one last time, she nodded.

"Now, would you please sit down?"

She did, but gingerly, as if she intended to get up if he did or said one
thing she didn't like.

He took a swallow of coffee, feeling a little as if he'd survived round one
of what he now knew with certainty would be a strained and very tense working
relationship.

He nodded toward the pages she'd onoe again placed on the desk.  "What have
you got?"

 "qInformation on the blue rattle."

Suddenly, he was damn glad she was here.  "That was quick work: '

"I told you I was going back to the hospital to check on it: '

"Yeah, you did."

"Well, I found out a few things that might be useful."

" " I'm listening.   " " "For one, the blue rattles were in newborn packets
for the baby boys.   Pink, obviously, for the girls.   The hospital orders
the packets from a company that sells them wholesale.   Maternity started
using the packets from this particular company a few months before Travis was
born.   About a year ago, the supplier discontinued the rattles.   Now they
use soft rubber ducks.   Tanya had one of those on her night table"

Judd nodded.  "How did you find out all of this?"

"Once I learned where the packets came from, I called the company " She
lifted one of the papers where she'd scribbled some notes.  "It's the Lambert
Supply Company, located west of Boston off 128.  It's a family-owned
business, and as of now they only distribute in New England: ' " "Then at
least we have a manageable starting point: '

"Yes."

"Good work, Adrienne."  Judd was impressed.  He knew she handled a lot of the
probing and leads when Child-Aid dealt with their major area of
expertise-missing children -but admittedly, he'd never considered the
similarities between what she did and good investigative work.  And because
the police were always involved with finding the missing kids, he'd assumed
the agency was more of a feel good operation for the parents than anything
else.

Now for the first time, he understood why the chief had pushed to bring
Child-Aid in-house.  Obviously, the agency was an asset, as well as a
valuable resource.  Studying Adrienne now, Judd didn't miss the sparkle of
excitement in her eyes.

"There's more," she said, shuffling the papers.

"Okay, let's have it."

"About a year ago, a bunch of the packets were stolen from the hospital
supply room: '

Judd's cop-radar immediately shot up.  "Packets were stolen?  Are you sure?"

She leaned forward, and her blue eyes were as darqling q her enthusiasm.
"I'm sure.  The reason the theft was noticed was that they-the hospital, I
mean-unexqstedly ran short.  When they reordered from I,ambert, they were
told the rattles had been discontinued, and replaoed."

"With the ducks " " " Yes.  At first, they thought the inventory shortage
might be due to an upswing in births, but births were actually down in that
month.  "

"That month being?"

"September of last year.  Sinoe they don't want to stockpile the packets and
because L,ambert is so accessible, the hospital orders on a monthly basis."

"Theft problems any other months?"

"Nothing of that magnitude."

"They ever catch who did it?"

She shook her head.

"Okay, so you've narrowed down the theft of the packets from the supply room
to only last September "

"ThaYs what I concluded, so I got a list of all the people who worked that
month."  She passed him a paper with about three dozen names on it.

"How many of these are full-time?"

" " About half.   I thought if we compared it to the list that Fairfax is
sending over, we might have some names worth looking into.   "

"Very impressive.  I should have been using you on investigations a long time
ago: ' " "qlly?"  q " " Yes, really.  "

For a few seconds, they stared at each other in an unintentional silence that
caught both looking too long and sitting too still.  Aware and yet tense, as
if each were mesmerized by the other.

Finally, Adrienne looked away.  "It was fun," she said in a husky voice.
"Finding the information, I mean.  A lot like putting together a puzzle."

"You do this kind of thing for Child-Aid, don't you?"

"Some, but not as much as I'd like.  The police handle most of the
questioning and footwork, as you know, but I think-" She stopped herself.
"Never mind, it's just my own penonal opinion: '

"Tell me.  I'm really interested: ' " "Well..  .  I'd like to see the agency
be more aggressive on the investigative side.  We need to be aware of the
machinations people concoct to take a child they have no right to.  That
helps to define their motives, as well as make us more diligent in protecting
the children before they are missing: '

"Valid points," he said.  "And the head of the agency what 's her name?  " "
" Evelyn Hudson: '

"Oh, yeah.  One of the guys upstairs says she's cold, tight faced and
probably tight-" He stopped himself just in time.  "Sorry."

" " I will agree that Evelyn can be intimidating.   She feels she has to be
in order to get the funds the agency needs from the state budget, as well as
deal with the poli.   " She paused a moment, giving him a measuring look.   "
Some of them aren't always as sensitive and cooperative as you are: '

He raised an eyebrow.  "Was that a shot?"  "

" Of course.   "

He chuckled.  "You're a tough lady" He paused a moment' So do you think a
more aggressive investigative operation would increase the success ratio for
Child-Aid?  "

"If by success you mean getting children found quicker, then yes.  Child-Aid
doesn't care about applause from the governor or news profiles on how
dedicated we are, but we do care about finding children in the fastest and
most efficient way possible.  Working with you is a good start."

"Working with me?"  he asked, feeling ridiculously flattered and reminding
himself not to get all soft over a few pleasant words.  "You see me as a step
toward fast rq sults?"

"You're very good at what you do."

"What am I, some sort of test case?"

"Certainly not, but getting the best detective to solve a tough case is
valuable for all concerned.  Espeqally for the Whitewells and, of course,
little Caleb: '

For reasons Judd didn't want to think about, he suddenly felt as if he were
doing his job not only to solve the ease, but to stay in Adrienne's good
graoes.  So much for a qcw eschanges of soft and pleasant words.

Sqowling, he pushed his chair back and opened one of his " q y , iq drawers.
No uestion ou ve made a good start.  qowqever..  .  Judd took out ha vis
rdttle and then dumped qitt an envelope containing the other rattle that had
been iqillqcned after the print check.  He plaoed the two rattles side qside.
" Let me ask you some questions.  When you tanked 'me packet supplier, did
they say they made the rattles or they buy them somewhere?  " stared at the
two identical toys and then took a third qttle from her purse, " "qvqtory at
the hospital found for me.  I brought it along to doubler check that they're
qe " I'hey are.  " She glanced up at Judd after she the rattle to her purse,
" Tlie supplier didn't actu say where the rattles came from originally, but I
got the ion they just assembled the packets.  I mean, each qntains a variety
of items.  Disposable diapers, baby formula, small boxes of infant cereal,
powder and lotion, that sort of thing.  I would think the rattles are like
the other things-bought from yet another supplier.  "

"Yeah, look at this: Judd showed her the origin imprint on the rattle.  "
Made in Japan: '

"Guess that answers the question."

"But raises another one.  Is the rattle sold in stores as well as to this
company?"

Adrienne's shoulders sagged and she sat back in obvious disappointment.  "In
other words, thousands of them could be around: ' " "Exactly."  ,

"Damn.  And I thought this was such a good lead: '

"It's an excellent lead, but like the puzzle you talked about, we don't want
to assume that this is the piece that leads to the kidnapper.  Easy and quick
assumptions make for carelessness or worse, sloppiness: '

"But don't you think it's awfully coincidental that we found the rattle
outside the hospital?  After all, since they no longer distribute them, it's
unlikely it would just be lying there unnotioed for a year.  Besides, it
would have been dirty, probably broken and at the very least faded from
exposure to the weather.  And what are the chances it was just casually
dropped by a passerby on the same day little Caleb was taken and Tanya saw
the woman with a blue rattle?  "

Judd nodded.  "I can't argue with your logic, and your questions are dead-on."

"So you think the rattle was dropped by the woman and perhaps..  : Adrienne
hesitated, as if sorting out her thoughts.  " " If she worked at the hospital
a year ago, she could have stolen the packets frozn the supply room and that
would account for how she had the rattle."

" " Possible, but why did she wait a year?  " " "To give the hospital time to
forget her?  "

"Maybe.  But why this hospital?  I mean, if her sole motive was to take a
baby, Seapoint Hospital is one of many in the state and hundreds in New
England alone.  Why chance going back to where someone might recognize her?"

She slumped deeper in the chair.  "I'm getting a headache"

"I know the feeling.  But it's just a lot of questions that we don't have
answers for yet."  He shoved his chair back and stood.  "What you have
gotten, however, is terrific.  And I agree with your " too coincidental'
theory, but just in case, I'm going to get a couple of officers to check
around the local stores.  If the rattle is sold nationally, it's bound to be
available in Seapoint.  "

He glanced up at the clock.  " " Those lists from Fairfax are due here a
little after eight, so we have some time to kill.  I'm starved.  How about
taking me out to breakfast?  "

She didn't move, staring down at the pages scattered on his desk.  " "
Adrienne?  "

"I just thought..  .  we might have gotten really close to a solution," she
said haltingly.  "So close that weqwould find Caleb very soon.  Maybe even
today."

He tipped her head up and saw the discouragement in her eyes.  "Listen,
thanks to you, we're closer than we were.  You can't let the unanswered
questions throw you.  Believe me, if I had a nickel for all the questions,
dead ends and hours of waiting in any one case, I'd be richer then the last
lottery winner.  It's slow and cumbersome and usually frustrating.  But it's
also damn rewarding when it all works out and the case is closed."

"What happens when the ending isn't happy?"

" " You deal with it, but you can't work on the premise that it will be
tragic: '

"And you stay out of it emotionally and personally."

"

" Yes: '

"I have to learn that: '

"Sometimes it's damn tough, Adrienne.  And I think you might have a point on
cops being more sensitive.  Somq times we give the impression of being
coldhearted and detached I guess the ideal is to be professionally
compassionate"

She sighed and nodded.  Judd stepped back and she rosq, gathering the papers.

Judd said, "I can put those in my desk: '

"All right: '

He did so and after she'd retrieved her purse, he took her arm.  They were
almost down the stairs, when she stopped.  , Judd halted, studying her.
"What's the matter?"

" " You said I could take you out for breakfast?  " she asked obviously just
realizing what he'd said earlier.

He grinned.  "Hey, I don't want to be accused of sexist assumptions.  Since
we're partners on this case, we can trade off."

They continued.  "Hmm, I think I'm going to get the best of the deal.  I
never eat much breakfast, but I adore dinner : '

"Today, you're going to eat breakfast.  Macko's Diner makes the best eggs and
home fries you'll ever eat: '

"Macko's?"  Adrienne grimaced.  "Not that dilapidated old diner on Winkler
Steet?  " " " That's it: '

"I thought the health department closed them down: ' " "As of yesterday, they
were still open."

She shuddered.  "Why doesn't that reassure me?"

Outside the sun was bright and promising another hot day.  Judd unlocked his
car and gestured her inside.

Once they were in traffic, she said, "Thanks: ' "

"For what?"   *

"For listening and understanding some of the things I want to see Child-Aid
accomplish: '

"You're idealistic, Adrienne, and by any stretch of the imagination, the
world can use more like you: '

"What a nice thing to say."

"limm, well, you better treasure it.   I try never to say more than one nice
thing a month: '

As they pulled into the crowded parking lot at Macko's, Judd decided that
maybe she wouldn't be so tough to work with, after all.  It probably wasn't a
particularly safe conchzsion , given how close they would have to work
together for the duration of the case.  But as long as he stayed on his toes,
kept his thoughts away from that night he'd spent with her and didn't take up
a lot of time rememberqg that kiss they'd shared at his house, he'd be okay.

After all, they would be in public ninety-nine peroent of the time.  It
wasn't as if they had to live together to get the job done.

Yeah, handling a few days would be okay.

He hoped.

Chapter5

Macko's had the unerring smell of coffee and grease collected under a
permanent cloud of hazy, smoky blue air.  The diner, converted from an old
train car, had become a haven for workers not given to suits and ties.
Jeans, T shirts, heavy boots, a few tattoos and enough noise to assure any
patron that quiet conversation would be impossible, were its mainstay

An upcoming Red Sox game was among the morning topics, as were complaints
about a rumored pay cut planned for state workers and, of course, the missing
Whitewell baby.

To Adrienne's surprise, she wasn't the only female in the place.  "IWvo women
sat at the counter and another one in a booth.  Most of the customers spoke
to Judd and a few asked about the kidnapping.  Adrienne concluded he was more
than an occasional customer.

He took her arm and led the way to a booth that had just emptied.

She slid in and immediately noticed the lumpy seat.  She'd never been in
Macko's, although it was considered a Seapoint landmark.  Despite attempts to
sanitize its image and endless warnings from the health department, Adrienne
knew Judd was among a large percentage who praised the diner for being homey,
generous in its portions and cheap.

Across the street was another restaurant with plants hanging in the windows,
but their business was half that of Macko's.  And looking around, she had to
admit the pl are had a sort of frantic charm.

She tried to imagine Judd bringing Diana to Macko's, but she knew even the
idea would have been preposterous.  Diana simply wasn't the diner type and
would have been appalled by the rugged atmosphere.  The fact that Judd had
brought her here raised some questions in Adrienne's mind.  Did he think she
was less fastidious than his late wife?  Or was she of such little importance
to him personally, he simply didn't care if she liked the place or not?  The
latter seq the most likely, she decided and winoed a little at the
qrevelation.

Perhaps he vieqwed her as one of the boys.  Well, that was what she wanted,
wasn't it?  To be treated as a co-worker?  As someone assigned to him to help
find a missing baby?  After all, they had both determined that this was a
working relationship.  She'd also been the one accusing him of putting too
much emphasis on the night they'd made love.

Now to sit and wonder why he wasn't treating her the way he would a woman who
was a real date or a woman he loved was neither logical nor wise.

Obviously, she couldn't have it both ways.  She didn't want personal
attention from him, she reminded herself.  He'd made it quite clear numerous
times that she meant nothing to him.  And she absolutely refused to allow her
own heart to weave dreams, as it had done that night.  Dreams and wants that
had shattered.

Judd peered at her, his gaze steady.  " " Is this long silence because of the
noise or are you still trying to put pieoes in the Whitewell puzzle?  "

She found a clean spot on the table and propped up her elbow.  Resting her
chin in her palm, she said, "I was trying to figure out why that lovely
restaurant with the hanging plants across the street isn't as busy as this
one."

" " Are you kidding?   " His tone sounded as if she should know the answer.
" "It seems to me it should be.   There's lots of parking, the windows are
clean and no doubt the cholesterol level is half what it is here."

"Lousy service, lousy food," he said bluntly.  "I took Diana there a couple
of times.  But even she agreed it wasn't worth a third visit: ' " "Did you
ever bring her here?"  she asked.

Judd raised an eyebrow as if she'd presented an outrageous notion.  "Be
serious.  Diana wouldn't have come in here if it was the only eating plaq
left in the state."

Adrienne silently admitted that she wouldn't have chosen

Macko's herself unless really desperate, but she also sensed something in
Judd's words she couldn't put her finger on.  A touch of resentment?  Had he
tried to bring Diana here and she'd balked?  Adrienne dismissed the thought
quickly.  She had an overactive imagination when it came to Judd.

Besides, one didn't need to be particularly insightful to realize that the
crowd at Macko's was working-class.  Ambience and soft music would be
disposed of early on in the fray of salty language and country music.

After a few minutes, the table still hadn't besn cleared.  Judd glanoed at
his watch and then stood.  Adrienne started to slide from the booth, too,
assuming they were going to Ieave.  "qit still.  I'm just going to hurry
Glenda along "

Then, to Adrienne's amazement, Judd stacked up the dirty plates, cups and
silverware and carried them to the counter.  He returned with a wet cloth and
wiped the table, then brought two mugs of coffee.

Once he was seated again, she commented, "That was very impressive.  Maybe
that's why the place across the street isn't doing so well.  They don't allow
you to clear your own table: '

"Now there's a thought," he said, matching her sarcasm' Actually it's less
complicated.  Glenda is busy "

"The waitress, right?"

"Yeah.  She's also part owner with Macko.  It's a two person operation.
They've hired people in the past, but none of them are fast enough.  Guys who
come in here are usually pnq for time, so they all sort of pitch in and help "

I.  oobng around, Adrienne said, "I have to admit, it does hqre the fel of
everyoqe being equal.  No doubt, that's part of its charm: '

Judd sat in the corner of the booth, the morning sun rq vealing lighter
streaks in his sable hair.  After studying her sqlently for more than a
minute, he said, "So which Adrienne is the real Adrienne?  The one with the
sarcastic bite or the one who just admitted Macko's has some appeal?"

Somewhat taken aback by the unusual question, she said, "Perhaps both..  .or
neither: '

"Ah, the mysterious woman.  Is that it?"

"Maybe."

"Or are you just indecisive?"

Adrienne sipped her coffee.  She was unsure where this rvas going and already
not liking it.  Carefully, she said, "I can be very decisive about oertain
things."

"

" Such as your job: ' "

" Definitely: '

"No second thoughts about our working together?"

She almost said no, but changed her mind.  Why not be honest?  Judd was too
perceptive for her to pussyfoot around any unresolved intimate issues that
could wreck a working relationship.

"Of course I've had second thoughts," she said.  "Third and fourth ones, too.
But I'd like to think we're both adult enough to step away from anything
personal, or at least handle it in a strictly professional way."

"Neither occurred with that kiss," Judd said in an even voice.  " " Is that
what this is all about?  Did you expect me to get hurry over the kiss?  Or
refuse to work with you?  "

"Hell, I don't know what I expected.  I'm still trying to figure out why you
didn't at least resist."

"Why I didn't resist!"  she said, more than a little outraged " " Why didn't
you ?  "

He scowled as if she'd presented him with an unheard of question.  Finally,
he muttered, "Point taken."

Adrienne found his easy compliance refreshing and interesting But knowing
that Judd rarely conceded weakness , she decided to take this tiny amount of
insight into him in the broadest way.  After all, he could hardly argue that
she should have stopped the kiss and not come off as a total sexist.  Then
again, his admission also revealed another truth.  He'd have no trouble
resisting her in the future; in fact, he'd probably make a point of it just
to show her he could.  Well, she didn't want to be kissed by him, she
concluded firmly.  She absolutely did not.

"We better order," Judd said and indicated the menu on a nearby wall.
Adrienne read the items and didn't know whether it was the enticing smells
coming from the kitchen or the fact she'd been up for hours and had only
coffeq, but she was starved.  Maybe the rush of going one-on-one with

Judd had stirred her adrenaline.

"What's good?"  she asked, then held up her hand.

"Don't tell me.  Sausage, eggs and home fries."  q'And Glenda's homemade
bread.  "

Adrienne's mouth watered.  She hadn't had homemade bread in years.  "Sounds
wonderful."

But instead of Glenda appearing and writing down the order, Judd called her
name.  A sixtyish woman with red cheeks and a dazzling smile glanced up from
the far end of the counter.  Judd called out the order, she nodded and within
siqc minutes, she delivered two heaping plates of steaming food.

After setting the hot plates down, she glanoed at Adricnnq but was obviously
still speaking to Judd when she said, qqWell, ahe's sure a sight for sore
eyes: '

Judd sprinkkd pepper on his eggs.  "Glenda, you're 'Now, Judd Dillon, don't
you go and try to pull any fast oq q me Yq qme here with a gorgeous thing
like her, i lmoqr more is goin' on than just a cheap date."  q aq a pieoe of
sausage.  "This is great, Glenda."

"Don't you go and try to change the subject, neither: '

He grinned.  "Sorry to disappoint you, but Adrienne works with me."

Glenda looked at her as if Adrienne had been beamed down from Mars.  "She's a
cop?"

"Not exactly.  She's with Child= Aid '

Adrienne felt as if she were watching a Ping-Pong game.

It was the most bizarre feeling, listening to two people disq cuss her as if
she weren't there.

At the mention of Child-Aid, Glenda gave Adrienne a qvide smile.  "Why,
honey, you should have said so.  Are you shy or have I been runnin' my mouth
so much, you don't know what to say?"

"I

"You've been running your mouth," Judd said so smoothly that Adrienne guessed
these two were old and good friends.

Glenda planted her hands on her hips and scowled at him.  " " Well, if you'd
find yourself a woman and settle down like I've been tellin' you to do for
the past year, then I wouldn't have to be asking' all these questions: She
leaned closer tq Adrienne.  "He really is in a bad way, you know.  Livin'
alone in that apartment and refusin' to let himself care about a woman again-"

"Glenda," Judd warned.  " " Okay, okay, so I mother you too much, but you
know I like to see all you guys married and happy, like my Macko and me.  "

"Glenda's a romantic," Judd said in a tone that made it sound more like a
disease than a pleasant quality.  "She's determined to believe that love
solves every problem: '

"Well, it sure doesn't hurt," Glenda said.

Adrienne sensed Judd's irritation and quickly swallowed her fourth bite of
eggs.  Changing the subject, she remarked , "Judd raved about the food here,
Glenda, and he oertainly was right: '

"Well, thank you mightily, honey.  We don't get too many dressed-up ladies in
here.  Mostly they want to eat across the street."  She peered out the steamy
window.  "Gee, it's too bad how their business is so slow: '

Judd and Adrienne and Glenda looked at one anotha and then all three laughed.
Adrienne went back to her food, but Judd pulled the sketch of the woman from
his pocket.

Glenda lowered her voice to a hush.  "When I saw you come in, I figured it
would be about that poor missin' baby "

Judd nodded.  "I thought you might have heard something : ' " "A lot of guys
were talkin' about it this morning.  Elmer, from over at the hardware store,
thinks the woman is a kookoo.  Scary, huh?  Saw that there sketch in the
mornin' paper.  I tacked the picture up on the mirror there by the doughnuts
and I beqn pointin' it out to anyone who hasn't aeen it: ' " "Thanks, Glenda."

"Sure.  Always glad to help the cops.  Hope they get that woman and string
her up," she said forcefully, obviously unable to comprehend anyone's
kidnapping an infant.

Adrienne couldn't understand it, either, but she wasn't quite as quick to
lash out.  One of the things she'd learned at Child-Aid was that every
terrible act didn't always have a sinister motive.  There'd been one case
where a woman had q lies children and refused to reveal where.  She'd gone q'
to jail and as a result, her motivation for secreting her chilqq dren had
turned into the very real reality of her ex-husband q abusing the lqds,

Adrienne didn't believe the Whitewell case was as q.  : straightforward, but
then, as Judd had said, there were still too many missing pieces.

Glenda gave Judd a curious look.  "So how come they gqe the case to you,
Judd?  I know you have a hard time around kids since Travis- "

Immqiately noticing Judd's discomfort, Adrienne intervened and asked,
"Glenda, could I have some more coffee?"  q "qVhy, sure."  Glenda turned away
and Judd sagged back io the booth.

"I know she means well, but sometimes she stumbles onto topics-especially
about Diana and Travis-that make me want to tell her to back off.  Usually, I
just shrug it off, but after yesterday at the house..  ."

"She is very blunt," Adrienne commented, although, to be honest, she was as
curious as Glenda about why he, specifically , had been assigned to this
case.  His thoroughness and professionalism were obvious reasons, but she
knew that the Seapoint Police Department had received commendations for its
array of very skilled officez's.  Why hadn't one of them been assigned to the
case, instead?

"Going to get the rattle was rougher than I thought it would be."

 "

" Judd, that's understandable.    "

"Is it?  Three years is a helluva long time.  What's odd is that some days
Diana and Travis are like faded memories.  Then some tiny incident or an
unexpected comment will bring the memories back, make them as clear and
tragically real, as if the accident happened just yesterday."

"I should have gone to the house by myself," she said.

He sighed.  "No, it's long since time for me to put the past where it
belongs.  And for the most part, I have."  He paused as if just figuring
something out, then he muttered, " " Maybe that accounts for the kiss: '

Adrienne's pulse sped up.  Her mind leapt in two different directions at the
same time.  Did he consider her a part of the past that needed to be set
aside?  Or did he mean that the kiss obliterated the past?  Either conclusion
was hardly flattering.

Instead of expanding on his comment, he pushed the food around on his plate.

Adrienne's own appetite was suddenly gone and she moved the half-finished
plate aside and touched her mouth with her napkin.

lqllon's Reckoning 79

Glenda came back with a pot of coffee.  She refilled both mugs and dropped a
handful of cream packets on the table.

"Gue55 I better let you two finish before the food gets cold: She gave Judd a
mercurial look and then bent toward

Adrienne and said, "You'd be perfect for him, you know.  I feel it in my
bones."

"Glenda, for God's sake," Judd growled.

"I'm just sayin' it like it is," she said, clearly not at all disturbed by
Judd's harsh tone.  "I'll even make a prediction: At Judd's cold glare, she
closed her mouth, but she gave Adrienne a brief smile before going back to
her other cu5tomen.

He opened two packets of cream and dumped them in his coffee, then pushed his
plate a5ide.  "Maybe bringing you hqere wasn't such a good idea.  I forgot
Glenda's ongoing campaign to find me a woman.  Not just any woman, mind you,
but the 'perfect' woman."

A qroman h'kc Diana, Adrienne concluded.  For she certqly had been pafect.
Beautiful, classy and she'd adored q_ 1qddq "Cqenda obviously cares a great
deal about you " q'I 5qpo5e, but sometimes she steps over the line.  Even my
oqwn mothq isn't as dogged in getting me hooked up qth s0me0ac.  I'm sony if
she embatrassed you: '

"She didn't.  I don't embarrass ca5ily: '

"No, you don't, do you?"  Adrienne managed a smile.  " " It was my mother who
did the qbarrassing things.  I think I became sort of immune to it: '

Judd watched her a moment, unsure how to continue or what to say.
Cautiously, he finally said, " " I remember that

Christmas you spent with us when she went off to Vegas with a boyfriend: '

Adrienne shuddered.  "Five years ago.  That was boyfriend number ten, I
think.  I kept losing hack: Adrienne gq Dillon 's Reckoning heard her own
bitterness and silently chastised herself for it.  Her mother hardly needed
to clear her life-style or her boyfriends with her daughter, but back then,
Adrienne had desperately wanted her mother to find someone who was more
permanent than two weeks.

She blamed her own lack of trust in the motives of men on having observed the
parade in and out of her mother's life.

The night Adrienne had spent with Judd, the night she'd thought was so
wonderful, so perfect-a night she'd desperately wanted to be a beginning for
them-had instead been little more than a night of sex for Judd.  Rather than
just acoept that, as her mother would have, Adrienne had taken the rejection
as proof that she had poor judgment when it came to men.

The alternative was that all men were as unhusqoqy as her mother had claimed,
an assertion Rhoda Trudell had embraoed since Adrienne's father had deserted
them.

Well, she thought with a sigh, she needn't worry about anything happening
with Judd again.  She certainly didn't need her life shattered by him;
trusting him with her heart was not a wise idea.  In a way, she was proud of
her honest evaluation of their relationship.  It made her aware and guarded
and convinoed her that whatever sexual attraction might exist meant nothing
more than just that.  It wasn't love and never would be.

Glancing at Judd, Adrienne added, " " You and Diana wee great that Christmas,
by the way.  I don't think I could have gotten through the holidays by
myself.  "

"Sure you would have.  Diana always said you were the most independent and
the most stable woman she'd ever known.  My guess is that's one reason why
you're so valuable to Child-Aid: '

A young man in his mid-twenties with shaggy hair, q in jeans and a blue work
shirt, stopped at Judd's table.  An oval patch on his pocket read Keith.

A crumpled bill cap was in one hand.  He looked nervously at Adrienne.  To
Judd, he muttered, " " Sorry to interrupt , but Glenda said I should talk to
you: '

Judd straightened.  "Sure, Keith."  ' ; The young man looked even more
uncomfortable, his eyes darting in Adrienne's direction again.  A few beads
of sweat slid down his temples.

Concluding from his obvious nervousness that whatever

Kath wanted to say to Judd, he wanted to say privately,

Adrienne said, "Let me take care of the bill and I'll meet you in the car."

Jq nodded.  "Thanks.  I'll take care of the tip.  He out in a fevr minubes: '

Adrieane slid out of the booth and Judd indicated for qith to sit doqwn.

Jqdd watched as Adriq walked to the cash register, all the appreciative looks
she zqeoeived.  He wondaai if Gknds had put tlq word out that Adrienne "bq
longed" to Judd and that accounted for the lack of whistles:

Probably, Judd decided, making a mental note to totally squash any of
Glenda's lingering romantic notions by not bringing Adrienne here a second
time.

Adrienne paid Glenda and the two women began tallcing Judd wondered briefly
about what, but immqaqly he didn't like what he came up with.  He'd always
hated being discussecl and dissected as if he were some dimwit who ;*.  ".
qq,t know what was good for him.  He sure as hell didn't need Adrienne
joining in with Glenda on some crusade to find him a woman.  Adrienne, he
observed, glanced back at him for a moment before going out the door.

In that fragment of time, he realized she was the first woman he'd ever
brought to Macko's.  Just as quickly, he dismissed any significance he might
attach to that fact.  After all, they were working on the same case.  It was
only logical they were going to end up sharing a few meals.  Besides, if he
had any interest in her beyond her working on this case with him, he sure in
hell wouldn't have chosen Macko's as a romantic starting point.

Keith lit a cigarette and Judd noted the man's hands were shaking.  "You look
as if you're about to freak.  What's going on?"

"God, Judd, I'm in a helluva mess."

"Why am I not surprised?"  Judd murmured wearily.  " " You've been in hellish
messes since you were a kid: '

"Man, I been out of trouble for more than six months " Keith said defensively.

"Practically a lifetime," Judd said sagely.  "So what is it now?  Drugs?
Shaking down some poor store clerk for money?  What?"

"I ain't done none of that.  I've been clean, I swear: '

"Okay, Keith.  You're usually pretty honest with me, so what's the deal?"

"Late last night, I was upstate and..  : He dragged on the cigarette as if to
gather courage.  " "You see, I'd already told Janet I was goin' to a union
meeting, but that's always held over at the hall on Downing Street so she
assumed that's where I was..  .  Oh, God..  : His face was flushed and he
crushed out the cigarette.  " Man, I could use a drink.  "

Judd sat back and said, "In other words, you weren't where you told Janet
you'd be."

"Yeah."

"And she found out: '

"No!  No way, man.  She don't know nothin': '

"Keith, look, whatever the problem is, it sounds more like it's with Janet
than with me."

"I'm getting' to it: '

Judd glanced out the window, where he could see Adrienne waiting for him by
the car.  The sun spilled over her and he found himself staring.

Quickly he averted his eyes and looked at Keith.  In a toneless voice, he
said, "Three minutes, kid.  Then I'm gonna split, so let's have it: '

Keith swallowed and lit another cigarette.  "I was workin ' upstate back in
June and this woman-named Crystal -well, Crystal and me, we sort of got to
know each other..  "

"You're getting it on with Crystal "

"Oh, God, she's good, Judd," he said with a kind of goofy grin that almost
made Judd smile.  Keith leaned for " ward, his voice low, I mean, she does
the kind of stuff I ain't q had at home."  Suddenly, he let his head fall
forqrard and whatever pleasure he'd derived from the memory immediatsly
evaporated.  "Janet will kill me."

"Pmbably " Judd put some folded bills for a tip under the ketchup bottle.
"Look, your getting involved with women other than your wife isn't something
I can help you with.  Although I can tell you, it has trouble and disaster
written all over it: He glanced at his watch.  " Keith, I have to get going.
My advice is decide if it's worth losing Janet over Crystal "

"But Janet wouldn't have to know if- "

"If what?"  Judd said impatiently.  "Glenda said I got to do my civic duty,
but you got to promise to cover my ass so Janet won't know the real reason - "

Judd frowned.  "Keith, what in hell are you talking about?  "

He took a deep breath and crushed out the cigarette.  "Last night around ten
o'clock, I was leavin' Crystal's and there was this car with a flat tire.
The woman was trying to change it, but she didn't even know how to set the
jack.  I wasn't goin' to do nothin'.  I told myself to mind my own business,
but I- "

"Couldn't just leave her there."  Keith had always had a kind streak, which
Judd had concluded long ago had kept the kid from getting into the serious
trouble that meant prison time.

"Yeah, but I should have..  ."  Then his expression crumpled' And if I was
smart, I wouldn't be sittin' here tellin' you all this " He gave Judd a
pained look.  " I think it was the broad who snatched the kid: '

For a few seconds, Judd stared at him, dumbfounded.  "Say that again."

 "" The kid who was grabbed from the hospital: '

"Yeah, I know, but how did you know it was the woman?  " " " Crystal and me,
we were so hot, uh, well, we forgot the TV was on.  So after we finished, we
were layin' there and well, you know-" " "For God sake, Keith, get to the
point: '

"When I got home, I saw her picture on the late news: '

"You're saying the woman with the flat looked like the picture they flashed
on the news?"

"Well, sort of, but then I also heard the kid cryin'.  " There in the back
seat in one of those baby seats.  It was wrapped in a blanket and she-the
woman, I mean-was really antsy She kept sayin' her son was hungry and she
needed to get home and would I please help her.  " " " So you changed the
tire."

"Well, hell, I couldn't just walk away.  Besides, Crystal was standin' on her
porch asking' the woman if she wanted to come inside and wait."

"qOkay, slow down," Judd said, frantically trying to put it all together.
"Did she take the baby and go into Crystal 's?"

"No.  She stuck one of those plastic plugs in the kid's mouth-"

"A pacifier."

"Yeah, that's it.  Then she stood there and watched me Ghange the tire."

"You said upstate.  Where?"  q'Louiston: '

"So what happened after you changed the tire?"  'qNothin'.  She got in the
car and drove away.  "

"Did she pay you?"

"No.  Didn't offer, either "

"Whqt kind of car 'qIt q a small station wagon.  Not very new.  Had a q.
Rhods Island plates.  I asked her where she q from and she wantqed to know
why I was asking'.  Weird, huh?  I mean, thaYs not some personal question, is
it?"

Judd said, "I want you to think.  What was her plate number?"

"Oh, God, you had to ask: '

"Think, Keith."

"I looked at it, but..  : '

"Was it a vanity plate?"

Keith shook his head.  He glanced down at the folded bills Judd had left as a
tip for Glenda.  "One of the letters was a " G' and the number was.  : He
rubbed his fists in his eyes.  "There was a six and a nine and a four.
That's it!  I know Hthat's it: '

Judd slid from the booth.  "Keith, you're a godsend."

"Wait.  You gotta make sure no one knows I told you.  I mean, Janet can't
know anything about this: '

"Okay.  Since you didn't come down to the station and file a report, I can
treat it as an anonymous tip, but you want some advice?"

"Lose Crystal," he said, dejected.

"Or you'll definitely lose Janet."

"Yeah, I'll have to think about it: '

Judd squeezed the young' man shoulder.  "Thanks , Keith.  This might just be
the break we need."

Chapter 6

Hot, sticky and irritated summed up Adrienne's disposition when Judd stepped
out of Macko's.

She'd shed her jacket and tie and had opened the buttons of her blouse,
wishing she could release the catch on her bra.

In fact, at the moment, she wished she were home standing naked in her air
conditioned bedroom.  The plastic of the car's seat stuck to her legs, adding
to her discomfort.

It was August, so she couldn't expect cool breezes and low temperatures, but
as much as the weather bothered her, the heat only exacerbated her annoyance
with Judd.

She'd had no idea who Keith was when she'd realized he wanted to talk to Judd
alone.  Sure he'd looked nervous and jumpy, but she'd just assumed he was
some poor guy who'd been helped by Judd in the past or had gotten into some
minor trouble and needed some advice.  Adrienne understood he wouldn't want
to bare his soul in front of a stranger.

gg Dillon's Reckoning

That was fine.  She was perfectly willing to accommodate Keith and Judd.  In
fact, she'd even been proud of herself for having taken the initiative before
Judd had to ask her to excuse them.

But then she'd talked to Glenda as she was paying the bill.

Casually, the older woman had commented, "Thought you were helpin' Judd with
that poor missin' baby case."

Adrienne had scowled.  Of course she was and Glenda knew that.  Shrugging,
Adrienne had said, "Didn't I make it clear earlier that I was?"

"Then how come you're leavin' just when I send someone who might know
something' over to talk to the two of you?  " " " You mean Keith?  " " "Well,
honey, I sure didn't hide any information in those last mugs of coffee."

Adrienne had felt like an ignorant fool, but she smiled and tried to act as
if she wasn't in the dark when it came to Judd's motives.  "Judd will fill me
in later.  You know how men are.  I noticed that Keith was uptight and so I
excused myself."

"And Judd didn't stop you?"

Should he have?  Adrienne had wondered instantly.

Glenda's question certainly made it appear that Judd should not only have
urged her to stay, but insisted upon it.  She hadn't gotten any signal from
him, and had in fact seemed to appreciate her quick assessment of Keith's
mood.  "Judd probably wanted Keith to be comfortable enough to talk: '

But despite Adrienne's putting such a good face on it for Glenda, she felt a
slow-burning fury at Judd.  Not once had he tried to discourage her from
leaving.  Nor had he simply said, Keith was uncomfortable and he, Judd, would
fill her in on the details later.  No, he'd let her get up and walk away with
nary a word.

"Humph," Glenda had said as she separated the bills and put them in the
correct register slots.  "Never seen that sort of thing bother Judd in the
past.  Then again, he don't usually work with a woman."  She flashed Adrienne
a knowing grin.  "Maybe this is a sign you two are fixed in the stars."

 "

" I beg your pardon?    "

"You two are meant to be, honey.  I just feel it in my bones.  Destined, just
as I was about to predict before Judd told me to mind my own business."

Adrienne had glanced back at Judd.  From where she stood, it looked as if he
was intensely questioning Keith.  She immediately wished she'd been able to
complete that assertiveness course she'd begun last spring.  Then she would
probably feel confident enough to march back to the table, plunk herself down
and demand to know what was going on.  If the situation were reversed, she
had little doubt Judd would do just that.  Then again, she decided irritably,
Judd would never have excused himself, in the first place.

Telling Glenda again how good the breakfast had been, Adrienne had added, "As
for your prediction, I think it's safe to say that the only thing Judd and I
are destined for is getting through this case as quickly as possible."

Before Glenda could say anything more, Adrienne had turned and left the
diner.  That had been fifteen minutes ago.

Now, between the August heat and her own expanding anger, she told herself to
get her emotions under control.  By losing her temper and railing at him, she
would only prove the worst stereotype about women-they got too emotional
about things they should just shrug off.

She tried to calm her rising anger as she saw Judd approach the car.  He
walked to the passenger side and planted his hands on the open window edge.
Dark glasses covered his eyes.  "I'm gonna make a quick phone call to the
station Be right with you: '

"Why don't you use the radio in the car?"

"Too many people with police scanners."

"Oh: That made sense if the information he needed to impart was sensitive.  "
I presume the call is about the case.  "

But he was ahqeady hurrying across the lot to a pay phone.

Adrienne sighed.  As always when he was so close to her, she was too aware of
him.  Of the sense of power and control he wielded so naturally that it
seemed to be an intrinsic part of his character, the leanness and agility of
his body, the slight messiness of his saddle brown hair, the hard lines in
his face.

She reminded herself that beyond his ability to throw her insides into a
jumble, he had also hurt her.  It hadn't been a minor relationship gone awry,
nor had it involved a decision that she didn't want to be involved, as had
been true of Hugh Potter, a foreign car salesman she'd been dating before the
night she spent with Judd.  In fact, Hugh's canceling their dinner date that
night had been the catalyst that had set her life on the course she'd taken.

Not only had she let her guard down and done what she'd never done
before-slept with a man because of a seething sexual chemistry, but she'd
totally opened her heart.  Although she hadn't been courageous enough to say
the words out loud, to herself she had finally admitted that the reason Hugh
had never really excited her was that she'd been in love with Judd Dillon.
Not the secret crush she'd had on him when he was married to Diana, but real
love.  Adrienne had taken that night with him very seriously.

Yet her love had been wasted.  He'd shown her beyond any doubt that he'd had
none of those same feelings for her.

She couldn't even soothe her wounded pride by believing he'd rejected her.
As painful as that would have been, rojection would at least have carried
some core of emotion, but Adrienne didn't even have that to make her feel
better.

qThey'd spent the night making love, and then he'd walked out of her
apartment without even a goodbye, let alone a verbal brush-of

For days, her feelings had gone from hate to tean to selfimposed contempt at
her own stupidity.  Why had she let herself enpect more?  She'd actually
allowed herself to beIieve that he just might care a little about her.

The only plus now, she concluded, plucking at her blouse where it stuck to
her skin, was her vow.  Never again did she in bend to be so foolish.  One
major heartbreak in her life was enough.  'qHell, iYs hot in here," Judd said
a few moments later when he slid behind the wheel.  He shoved a hand through
his hair and tben rolled all the windows down.

Adrienne sat stiff and stared straight ahead.  "I hadn't noti.  "

"Hadn't notioed?"  He glanced in her direction before sqrting thz vehicle.
"Is that why you took off your jacket and that dumb tie?"

She sqvung around, her eyes snapping with anger.  "Dumb tie?"  q

He chocked the rearview mirror, then backed out of the psfking lot.  "Yeah,
it makes you look Wee you're trying to prove something."

Adrienne folded her arms.  "And just what do you and your vast store of
wisdom about me think I'm trying to prove?"  q

Obviously, he heard the edge in her voioe.  "Look, I'm sorry you had to wait
out here, but Keith- "

"I'll get to Keith in a minute," she said, realizing she shouldn't be so
touchy.  Keith and what he'd said was more important than an argument over
what she wore.  Yet his comment about the tie irritated her.  Maybe it was
the heat or an accumulation of annoyanoe with him or just her pride,

but this was one topic she would not let slide.  " " Fxactly what do you
think I'm trying to prove?  "

"Forget I mentioned it: '

"Wait a damn minute.  You started this and I think I deserve an explanation."
" " I started it?  The last time I looked, we were getting along pretty
well.  You're the one who's all in a flurry about something.  As for the
necktie, I just don't like women who dress like men.  Hell, I hate wearing
them, and looking across a table at you in one just rubs me the wrong way.  "

"Since I'm neither your wife nor your girlfriend, what I wear shouldn't
bother you at all: '

"True: And without any second thoughts, he added, " Just as I won't let it
bother me, either, that your blouse is unbuttoned enough that I can see the
swell of your breasts: ' He said it so easily, she was certain that he wasn't
fazed.

She glanced down and her heart sank.  She hadn't notioed , but her blouse was
open to the tune of five buttons, and too much of her breasts did show.
Sinoe she knew she'd only deliberately opened three, the last two must have
been an unconscious reflqa to the stifling heat in the car.

Crood grief, she hoped that was all it was.  The last thing she wanted was to
give Judd the impression she was playing some flirtatious game.

She started to close the buttons, but he set his sunglasses on top of his
head and reached over and took her wrist.  "You don't have to do that: '

"I didn't realize I'd opened so many.  It was hot and I felt so sticky and
uncomfortable that I..  : '

"Adrienne, it's okay."

"I don't want you to think I was being unprofessional: ' One of the things
she'd learned in her unfinished assertiveness class was not to dress in a
provocative way if you wanted to be taken seriously in the workplace.

"Because you were hot and took some clothes off?  It's not as if you'd
stripped down to your panties: His eyes -were so sincere that she relaxed.
He hadn't teased, and even the comment about seeing the tops of her breasts
hadn't been all that bad.  He didn't mind.  Then again, what did she eqcpect
from him?  Flirting and cavalier remarks?  No, his assurances were at the
same level of his interest for her.  Zero.  She should have been relieved.
But she wasn't.

"So is the reason you wore the necktie really to prove your professionalism?
" he asked as he came to a stop at an intersection and settled his sunglasses
back in place.

Adrqnne had always strived for professionalism, in dress and in conduct.  It
was one of the things that some of her coworkers in the past had never quite
learned.  Not that it was wrong to date someone you worked with, but Adrienne
had always avoided blurring that line between work and fun.  Wearing ties
gave her a sense of.  .  what?

Slq thought for a moment.  Power?  Maybe.  Wearing them, she hoped, carried
the message that she would not smnd for being mistaken for some empty-headed
flirtatious q, as her mother had been.

When Chqd-Aid had mowed into the police department, being surrounded by men
had made her doubly careful.  In an even tone, she said, "Women working in
the police dopartment have to present a certain persona."

"Is that a nice way of saying cops are sexist?"

"Some are: '

"So are some plumbers, some druggists and even women when they giggle over a
guy in tight jeans."

She glanced over at him, not wanting to recall the times she'd seen him in
snug jeans.  "Some women find that very

"How about you?"

She shrugged.

"

" I rest my case.   "

"All right, but I don't stare at-" she swallowed the "you" just in time "-at
a guy the way men stare at women.  They give women head-to-toe visual strips."

To her surprise, he didn't deny the description.  " " It's the primal side of
our nature," he said in an amused tone.  " We're checking out the merchandise
to see if she can cook and clean and still be sultry enough to keep us
interested in bed.  " " "Very funny.  Did it ever occur to you that women
might be checking a guy out for the same reasons?"

To her disgust, he didn't miss a beat.  "Guess I'll have to work on my
cooking and cleaning, when it comes to you, Ms. Trudell.  We both already
know about the good sex."

Adrienne sighed.  If she hadn't taken her tie off, none of this conversation
would have taken place.  But what was even more unnerving was how she'd
progressed from being angry at him to talking to him so easily about how each
viewed the opposite sex.

Finally, in her best crisp and cool voice, she said, "Iq tective Dillon, I
suggest we change the subject."

"You're sure, Ms. Trudell?"  "

" Very sure.   "

"Damn.  And here I was about to expand on how great you were in bed."  He
pulled into the police department's main lot and found a parking place on the
shady side of the building.

She peered at him.  "Is this the same guy who was so uptight and worried that
our working together would be a problem?  Now you're talking about us having
good sex as if it were something as ordinary as sharing a cup of coffee"

He turned, but because he wore the dark glasses, she couldn't see his eyes.
"It was the necktie that changed my opinion.  I think thaYs called getting
enlightened, isn't it?"

"You know, I'm not sure whether you're serious or-"

He cupped the back of her neck and then dipped his head and kissed her.
Adrienne was so stunned, she forgot to close her eyes.  His mouth was
surprisingly cool, but her body broke out in a sudden flush of new heat.

He coaxed her mouth open-actually, it took little encouragement Adrienne felt
as if she were reeling under an onslaught of sensation.  The deepened kiss
made her shiver, and when he tugged her a little closer, she went willingly.

Then he lifted his head and looked at her for a long time.  She guessed her
cheeks wae red and her eyes were too wide.  On the one hand, she knew she
should show some annoyanoe , but on the other, she wanted him to kiss her
again.  Her lqcqc of couragc in not berating him and her obvious compliame
made hrr angry with hen elf

Jqd grinned.  "Sac with you, angel, was definitely not cvq cloec to ordinary.
And before you get hurry, I know that oomment crossed the line, and I
apologize.  You don't mod to go into some fit of outrage.  I meant it as a
compliment "

Adrienne wantqd to ask a dozen questions, but instead she concentrated on
getting her blouse all buttoned.  What was wrong with her?  Judd Dillon was
the last complication she needed in her life.

"Neeq help with the tie?"  he asked helpfully.  "

" I tie a mean knot: '

"Go to hell, Judd Dillon," she said in her sweetest voice.

He chuckled, shaking his head, deciding that now was not a good time to
continue pushing her.  Inwardly he smiled, ignoring the strange warmth
teasing her gave him.  Who knew it would be so much fun?  Getting out of the
car, he watched as she followed suit.

They walked together into the police station, where he stopped near the
stairs and said, "One more point about the necktie."

"I don't want any more of your advice," she said firmly, keeping her back
straight and wishing she could snap her fingers and instantly be in the cool
privacy of her office.

"This isn't advice.  Just an observation.  You don't need to prove anything
by wearing a damn tie.  You're a professional and you've already proved it by
the quality of the work you do and the responsibility you take on.  You
honestly think the chief would have okayed and assigned you to work with me
if he didn't know that your credentials were impeccable?"

She had begun to ascend the stairs, but halted a few steps up from him.
Looking down at him, she asked, "Are you saying that to make up with me?"

"Such a suspicious mind "

"Words, like actions, aren't always reliable, Detective

"And you, Ms. Trudell, are too willing to assume the worst motives.  Lighten
up: '

As they climbed the stain, Adrienne frowned.  Maybe she was taking herself
too seriously.  If she really wanted him to know he didn't mean anything to
her, then she wouldn't get indignant so easily.  However, he did do things
that threw her off stride.  The "dumb" tie comment and, of course, that kiss.

She pressed her lips together and reminded herself she was supposed to be
keeping her head straight about him.  She definitely should not be allowing
these unexpected kisses to just happen without cutting them off.  "Itqvice
now, she'd simply caved in.  That, she concluded, was hardly a professional
response.

As they wound their way past the desks, she looked around her.  Already the
police department was so much more familiar to her.  Everywhere phones rang,
and nearby a man was being taken into an interrogation room by two officers.
Judd signaled across the room to another officer and she snapped her
attention back to the situation at hand.

At his desk, Judd indicated the chair where she'd sat earlier " " Sit down
and I'll fill you in on what Keith had to say.  "

Adrienne sat down and Mike Shelby wove his way between desks, loaded down
with computer printouts.

"Hi, Adrienne."

"Hello, Mike."

"Those the printouts of names from the hospital?"  Judd asked.

"Yeah.  Thank God, Seapoint is a small hospital.  One of the guys said
Providence did this kind of check a few years ago and the list of names was
endless."  Mike laid the sheets on Judd's desk.  "We've already checked out
and eliminated a lot of these names.  A few have died and those who still
reside in Seapoint have checked out okay.  The DMV is still working on the
plate number Cokeburn gave you, and we should know something within the hour."

At Adrienne's scowl, Judd explained, " " Keith Cokeburn, Adrienne.  He
changed a tire for a woman with a baby late last night.  He remembered part
of the license plate number : I called it in to Mike and he got in touch with
the Department of Motor Vehicles.  "

"The phone call you made."

"Yeah."

She waited for him to reveal some piece of information that would support his
not having insisted that she stay while he talked to Keith-as Glenda had
suggested he would have done with a partner-but Judd turned to Mike.

"Good work, Mike.  How about the rattle?  Any of them sold locally?  " ""
We've checked baby stores and drugstores and the chains, but nothing that
matches that particular rattle: '

Adrienne said, "Lambert might know: '

Judd quickly explained who I.  ambert Supply was, then took Adrienne's papers
from the desk drawer.  He shuffled through the pages and showed Mike the one
with the information on the company.

Mike nodded and made a note of the name, location and phone number.  "I'll
get someone on this.  We're also checking on the women who gave birth: '

Mike then indicated the names on the printouts that were still in question.
There were about ten and Judd knew that each would have to be checked out
individually.

He pushed the list of former employees toward Adrienne' Make me happy and
tell me you know who all these women are.  "

She glanced at the list, running her finger down and then stopping at the
sixth name.  "I know Opal French.  She's a friend of my mother's.  She had
some asthma problems and the hospital odors made it worse, so she quit.  She
lives down in Jamestown with her second husband: ' " "What happened to the
first one?  "

"Mom said he died after a stroke a few years back "

"Know the name of the second one?"

Adrienne thought for a moment.  "No."

Judd lifted an eyebrow.  "Mike, run a computer check on an Opal French."

"Already did Opal.  Nothing."

Judd nodded.  "Okay.  Thanks.  Let me know when DMV has some plate numbers."

Mike walked away and Judd sat down, leaning back in his chair.  "What about
Opal as a possibility?"  he asked Adrienne

Adrienne tried to picture Opal as a baby snatcher.  "My immediate reaction
would be no, but honestly I couldn't be positive.  Frankly, I haven't seen
her in a while.  And you said at the hospital that the woman who took the
baby is probably someone not easily suspected.  ThaYs how she pulled this of
Knowing her name might show up on hospital records seems careless on her
part, if she was trying to get away with something."

Judd tapped a pen on the desk, his face thoughtful.

"How well do you know Opal?  " "In the past, I knew her pretty well.  As I
said earlier, she and my mother used to barhop together back in the days when
tlqat was a novelty for women."

"Opal met her second husband in a bar?"

"I think so, but I'm not really sure."

"Dqes Opal know what you do?  Child-Aid, I mean."

"She may.  I don't know: ' " "qq tqs would be a good time to catch her up on
your life."

"Judd, what are you talking about?"

"You're going to pay her a visit."

"But what excuse will I use?"

 "

" Do you have to have an excuse to stop by for a friendly visit?    "

"Well, no, but since I'm not in the habit of driving down to Jamestown and
casually dropping in on her, won't she be suspicious?"

"If she's the kidnapper, she'll be suspicious.  If she's not, she'll be
curious at first and then delighted to see you: '

"Listen, I can see the direction you're going in, but I'm not very good at
deliberate deception.  I'd probably blow the whole thing."

"You'll do fine," he said, dismissing her concerns.  "Here comes Mike."

"Just to make sure, I checked the Outstanding Warrants , but nothing on Opal
French.  Looks like this one is gonna be slow going: '

"

" Damn: '

"Yeah, a prior warrant on Opal for kidnapping would have been a real plum: '
" "We should be so lucky "

"Oh, had a call from DMV They're having some computer problems, so it's gonna
be a while before they can run that plate number: '

"Why in hell didn't they tell you that when you called it

Mike shrugged.  "Who knows.  Probably hired some broad more interested in
polishing her nails than doing her work: '

Adrienne narrowed her eyes and glanced at Judd.

"Mike, there's no shortage of guys who screw up, either ," Judd said.

"Hey, I've heard you blast some of those women over there."

 "

" I'm trying to turn over a new leaf.    "

"

"Why would- "

Adrienne interrupted smoothly, "I've been giving him a lot of grief about
sexist attitudes, Mike."

"Sexist?  Who's being sexist?"

Judd got to his feet.  "Never mind.  Adrienne is going to pay Opal and her
second husband a visit.  Keep on the DMV

I want an m on that plate by tonight: '

Outside, Adrienne stopped.  "You're going with me?"

"You didn't think I was going to send you alone, did you?"

"Judd, it's going to be difficult enough convincing Opal I just happened to
be passing by and decided to drop in.  You being with me will only complicate
matters."

"Why?  Does Opal think you hate men?"

"Of course not: '

"Then whaYs the problem?"

"Oh, I can see it all now.  " Hi, Opal, Just thought I'd stop in out of the
blue and say hello, and by the way, this is Judd Dillon, a detective who
tagged along for the ride.  " "

"Haven't you ever heard of undercover work?  We're going to apply the same
principle.  We're not going to be what we really are.  Sinoe Opal probably
considers you to be a nice young woman, then it seems reasonable that the man
you're with would be a nice guy, a guy you're getting serious about.  And
since iYs such a beautiful day, we decided to take a ride down to the shore
and walk on the beach.  You recalled that Opal lived in Jamestown and so you
decided to stop in and say hello q.

"Zijust me, it'll work "

"Andjust how serious am I supposed to be about you?"

"Some adoring looks would be good: '

"And should I hold your hand, hug you every few minutes and generally look as
if my life is meaningless except when you're beside me?"  she asked, an edge
of sarcasm in her voice.

He slung an arm around her neck and gave her a gentle squeeze.  "Hey, that
would be great, Ms. Trudell."

"Hey, that would be only in your dreams, Detective Dillon : '

He grinned and she scowled.

A few minutes later, he pulled into the morning traffic.  "We'll stop at your
apartment first and then mine."  At her puzzled look, he added, "Neither of
us is wearing beach walking clothes: '

On that point he was right.

He drove into the parking area beside her apartment building and she was
caught by a sense of dqjq vu.  That night, he'd parked in almost the same
place.  Except then, there had been long kisses in the car before they'd gone
inside the building.  She'd been aroused and hot and she remembered all too
well how he'd lowered the bodice of her dress and kissed her breasts.  She'd
arched into him, tunneling her fingers through his hair, sighing his name as
if it were the sweetest word on earth.  .

He touched her arm, and she jumped, her eyes flying open.  " " Adrienne, you
okay?  "

She refused to look at him, scrambling to undo the ssat belt.  "I'm fine.  I
was just thinking about..  about how this will all work..  .  with Opal, I
mean."

 "

" I,ook at me.    "

With the belt opened, she reached for the door handle, keeping her eyes
averted.

"Adrienne, for God's sake, will you look at me?"

"I can't " " " All that stuff before about how we should act at Opal's wasn't
some attempt to turn our working relationship into anything else.  "

"I know that: '

"Then you're angry about my having kissed you at the station, aren't you?"
He shoved a hand through his hair.  "You sure as hell have a right to be.
Especially since I'm the one who complained the loudest about our working
together , considering what happened between us in the past: '

"I shouldn't have let you.  Kiss me, I mean."  Just as she shouldn't have let
him make love to her a year ago.

She pushed open the car door, then turned.  "Do you mind waiting down here
for me?"

Judd stared at her, searching her face and seeing exactly what worried her.
Wanting to reassure her and not knowing why it suddenly felt so important, he
said, "We wouldn't wind up in bed, Adrienne."

But instead of addressing the obvious source of tension between them, she
said, "I'll be only a few minutes."

Leaving the car without a backward glance, she hurried up the steps of her
building.  He watched as she unlocked the security door and disappeared
inside.  q Judd slumped low in the seat, his own memories of that night too
vivid, too damning.  Hell, he'd paid the price of commitment and involvement
with the untimely and unqsary loss of his wife and son, a wrenching disaster
that still clutched at him.  He didn't want another woman, he didn't want any
of the ties and promises that went with a ssrious relationship.

The problem with Adrienne was that Judd wasn't sure esactly where she
belonged in his Iife.  She'd been a friend and, briefly, a lover, but unlike
any friend he would normally remain in contact with, he'd deliberately
ignored Adrienne.  Unlike a satisfying lover who he would have revisited time
and again, he'd fled her place in the breaking dawn and had never gone back,
trying like hell to wipe away every memory of her body, her mouth and the
thousand sensations she'd caused within him.  ltqvice now, he'd kissed her in
defiance of his feelings that it would be dangerous, and twice he'd gotten
more than he wanted.  Maybe it was just leftover memories of past kisses-he
knew what she liked.  He knew the tiny sounds she made, arousing sighs that
excited and inordinately pleased him.  Unfortunately something told him the
pa stand what they'd shared-was only the beginning.

Judd scowled into the hot morning light and tried to ignore the incessant
stirrings of interest in Adrienne.

"Dammit, it was one night.  And now it's just the memories of great sex
haunting me.  That's all it is, " he muttered out loud as if doing so would
make his pronounoement more valid.

Nothing more.  And the best way to prove that was to keep himself in cherk.

He glanced up when she opened the car door and slipped inside.  She wore
loose-fitting shorts and a long terry-cloth top with a huge sailboat on the
front.  Sunglasses rode atop her head and her earrings were big red plastic
hoops.

"All set," she said, giving him a bouncy smile.

Judd scowled.  God, he'd forgotten just how spertacular she looked in shorts.

Then again, he was beginning to think there was little about Adrienne that
wasn't spectacular.

Chapter 7

Twenty minutes later, Judd came out of his apartment and slid into the car.
He, too, had gone to change into what he cqlled grown-up play clothes.  Just
the way he grimaced rq minded Adrienne that he had little time for play, and
she doubted he'd spent any time in the recent past even close to the beach,
unless it was to find some culprit.

After a quick glance at him, however, she was reminded of their conversation
earlier about her wearing a necktie and guys looking sexy in tight jeans.
Actually, she wouldn't have described his jeans as tight, she decided,
mulling over why she, like many women, was so fascinated by the sight.
Judd's were more like comfortably snug, but they were still far too
dangerously thought-diverting.  His soft blue T shirt eacposed the cords of
muscle in his arms and brought back too many memories of the night, when
she'd fallen asleep in those arms.  Altogether a seqily unsettling image that
she qumly reminded herself would only affect her if she was foolish enough to
allow it to.

She sighed.  Thinking about Judd in any way except as the man she was working
with to find Caleb Whitewell, had become a mindless seesaw of ill-defined
logic.

She no longer loved him.  She'd settled that in her mind a long time ago.
Yet, in the past twenty-four hours, she admitted that she'd been gripped by
anticipation at seeing him, filled with a kind of kinetic energy and, worst
of all, had allowed her thoughts to stray into areas best left untouched
Thoughts that were uncomfortably close to fragments of her desire for him
years ago.

All of that and this last-feeling desire for Judd-only proved to her that her
good sense wasn't sensible at all.  She couldn't let herself be sucked into
the throes of some silly out-of-control emotion that would lead her into
getting hurt all over again.

And just what did any of those thoughts and feelings have to do with her job?
she reflected grimly.  Nothing.  She'd always been focused solely on her
work when a child was missing, at times to the point where she didn't eat or
sleep very well.  Some might call it an obsession and getting too emotionally
involved, but Adrienne called it caring and dedication.  How anyone could
deal with missing children as if they were objects, to be sought as one
searched for a stolen car, smacked of being cold and chillingly inhumane.  Of
course, getting immersed in a case held another risk.  Even Evelyn, her
superior, had chastised her a number of times in the past year for risking
burnout.

Adrienne, however, had found her work required just the kind of dedication
and concentration that didn't leave time for much perspertive on her personal
life.  In fact, if she were totally truthful, she'd had no personal life in
the past year.  Not since No personal life since that night with Judd?  Was
that possible?  Her eyes widened at the tiny revelation.  She hadn't thought
about it in that light, but it was true.  Sheer coincideqce , she decided
firmly, dismissing the thought.  One thing had nothing to do with the other.
Working hard and not having much of a social life did not have anything to do
with old feelings for Judd Dillon.  It did not.

Not at all pleaserl by the path her thoughts had taken, she pushed the
uncomfortable insight aside.  She adjusted her sunglasses and looked straight
ahead.

"I hope you're thinking about how all this will play out," Judd commented as
he drove through town and into the summer beach traffic, on their way to
Opal's.

Sighing and glad to train her thoughts on the real reason they were together,
she said, "I'm afraid I can't quite picture

Opal as someone who would steal an infant from a hospital: '

"Even though you said she resembled the sketch?"

"A lot of women could look like that sketch.  Maybe the woman who took Caleb
deliberately distorted her looks: '

"Maybe," Judd murmureq.  "Frankly, I'd like Opal to be it.  To walk in and
find the kid would be a lucky break."

"Well, you don't have to make it sound like I'd be disappointed I want to
find Caleb, too," she said with more irritation than she intended.  The truth
of it was that the sooner they found Caleb, the sooner they would no longer
have to spend so much time together.  So a quick end was exactly what she
wanted.  Wasn't it?

In a less strident tone, she asked, "What kind of ruse are we using?"

"I thought we'd park the car a few houses from Opal's.  Then we'll walk to
her place, knock on the door and after she expresses surprise at seeing you,
you can say the car broke down and would she mind if I used the phone.  While
I'm doing that, you can visit and learn what you can."

"Sounds awfully easy," she said skeptically.

"Since we don't know if she's the one we're looking for, I'd rather not be
too tied down as to how we play it.  Instinct is a big factor."

"Play it by ear, you mean: '

"Yes and no.  It's cop thinking, Adrienne.  When you're with another cop
certain instincts kick in.  You end up sensing what to do and how to act so
that you get a lot more information than it might appear, to a casual
observer.  I'm counting on you to know the baby stuff.  You know any special
smells associated with infants or baby things like a bottle or diapers.  In
other words, keep your eyes open: ' Then, as if he'd explained the plan
fully, he added, " "By the way, I called Shelby to see if anything on that
plate number had come in.  Nothing yet."

"Which reminds me," Adrienne said, turning in the seat and peering at him.
"You still owe me an explanation regarding your talk with Keith."

"Why does this sound like I'm in some kind of trouble ?"  he asked, bracing
himself for an onslaught of criticism

"I just have a few questions."

He sighed.  "Go ahead."

"You don't have to act like this is an inquisition: '

"Adrienne, in my experience with you-the most recent being the necktie
conversation-you tend to get all hung up on what you think I mean rather than
what I really mean: '

His comment immediately bothered her.  Was he making some vague reference to
the night they'd spent together?  That she'd given it more meaning than he'd
intended it to have?  Certainly no argument there, she concluded grimly.  Not
that she would let him know that, of course.  "Perhaps because you don't make
yourself entirely clear."

"I'll work on my approach," he said sagely.  "Ask your questions."

" " At the diner, since Keith obviously wanted to talk to you about this
case, and since I'm supposed to be working with you, why didn't you insist
that I stay?  "

"I didn't tell you to leave."

She scowled.  That was certainly true.  In fact, she hadn't given Judd much
of a chance to say anything, she'd just read Keith's body language and made
an assumption.

"Well," she said.  "I wouldn't have left if I'd known he might have had
information on the woman we're looking for."

"I didn't know he had information, either."

She stared at him.  "But he looked so jumpy and fidgety, I thought- "

"That he had experienced some dark trauma he wanted to tqll only to me?"

"Yes, I guess I did."

"You aren't all that far wrong.  The gist of what he told q was that when he
helped this woman change her flat tire, it was outside his girlfriend's house
in Louiston.  Keith told his wife before he left home that he was going to a
union meeting here in Seapoint."  Judd glanced at her before snapping on his
directional signal and turning onto Beach Rock Road.  "So now you know the
dilemma he found Ilimself in: '

Adrienne thought for a moment.  "If he'd come to the station and given a
report, there's the possibility his wife would find out he wasn't where he
should have been.  She would find out he was a liar and a cheat."

"You got it: '

Adrienne considered her own feelings on deceptive men.  Her father, who'd
walked out and never returned, her mother, who refused to trust a man for
anything but a good qe because she was sure they were all liars.

Il 0 Dillon 's Reckoning

Even her own experience with Judd hadn't been what she'd expected.  She'd
thought she loved him and he'd certainly given the impression he'd felt more
than just a sexual attraction, but in truth, she'd often wondered if he'd
felt even that.  At least the men in her mother's life had stuck around for a
few months.  Judd had barely stayed one night.

Now Adrienne folded her arms and said coolly, "Well, in my opinion, your
friend Keith deserves to get caught: '

Judd shrugged.

"You think iYs okay for him to cheat on his wife?"

"I think it's none of my business and not my problem.  I'm glad he came to me
when he did because if I found out later that he had pertinent information
and didn't come forward, I would have hung his- Never mind..  : He shook his
head, clearing it from a cloud of dark thoughts.  " "Keith did come forward
so it's not an issue.  And if his information gets this case solved quicker
and brings the baby home safe to Ronnie and Tanya, then Keith may not care if
he has to take some heat from his wife."

"Wait a minute," Adrienne said, still thinking about what Judd had started to
say about Keith if he hadn't come forward.  "You're a police officer.  You're
not supposed to hit on a citizen just because he didn't do his duty."

If Adrienne hadn't been staring at him, she knew she would have missed the
bunched cords of muscle in his arms that suddenly went taut.  It lasted less
than five seconds, but there was no doubt in Adrienne's mind that Judd was
furious but determined to hide it.

"Let's change the subject," he said.

The better part of wisdom told her to leave the issue alone; obviously, it
was a sore subject with Judd.  But whether it was curiosity or genuine
interest on her part, she wanted to know why a police officer who was seen by
the department as one of the best could so arbitrarily consider shong-arm
tactics a viable option when a citizen didn't cooperate

She took a deep breath and, before she lost her nerve, said, "I don't want to
change the subject, Judd.  This is important From what I read and see on the
news, there's entirely too much police brutality.  The very idea that the
Keiths of this world should live in fear that a cop will physically hurt them
if they don't cooperate is frightening."

"In the first place, you don't know what in hell you're talking about, so
please spare me the idealistic crap: '

"You're denying that there's police brutality?"

" " This has the same feel as that sexist stuff we discussed earlier.
Yeah, there probably are a few bad cops, but using some broad brush to paint
every police officer who departs from some civilian code of decorum as a
brutality-obsessed cop is ridiculous.   "

"All right, I'll concede your point.  And for the record, I don't consider
you a brutality-obsessed cop."

"A vote of confidence.  How encouraging and generous of you," he snapped.

"You're being sarcastic: '

"And you're about to ask some nosy questions."

"Because you're scaring me," she said, not about to let his sudden reserve
and distance discourage her.  "It's obvious you're angry.  Not just surface
anger, but deep and deadly.,q

Then, as if he'd revealed too much, he drew in a long breath, obviously
forcing himself to relax.  If Adrienne hadn't lmown him very well, she might
have bought it.  But she'd known Judd a long time, and not just on a personal
level, either.

From the day Child-Aid had moved their offices onto the third floor at the
police station, Adrienne had heard that ludd's reputation in the department
was exemplary.  Skilled,

precise and professional, he was thoroughly respected.  In fact, she'd seen
cold deadly fury in him only once.

The day the police had found the drunk driver who had hit Diana's car.  ""
Let me put it this way, " Judd said with obvious exasperation' If we don't
find the baby or the woman, or if we do and the ending is tragic, how would
you react to the news that some guy had had information that could have
helped and he didn't come forward?"

"I know what you're getting at, and of course, I would be angry and upset."

"Angry and upset?  Please spare me the textbook reactions Let's make it a
little more personal.  Let's say it was your baby.  How would you feel about
Keith then?"

Adrienne was amazed at how swiftly her inner body rq acted.  It tightened and
she felt a rush of pure horror, followed by dark fury.

He gave her an assessing and derisive look.  "Ah, the lady has a lethal
streak."

Adrienne took a deep breath, scowling that she'd revealed herself so easily.
"All right.  I admit I wouldn't be anywhere close to calm and objective, but
the polioe are supposed to be."

"Cops are human.  They have wives and kids and feelings of inadequacy and
anxiety, and sometimes they take things personally."

Adrienne stared at him for a long moment.  His mouth was set in a grim line
and his hand was tight on the steering wheel.  He passed 29 Beach Rock Road,
drove past a few houses and then stopped.

"You mean Diana and Travis, don't you?"  she asked softly.

For long tense seconds he simply stared straight ahead and said nothing.

"Judd?"

"Yeah, I mean Diana and Travis."

"Somebody saw something and they didn't come forward ?"

His hands clenched and he looked as raw and hard as she'd ever seen him.

Bitterly, he said, " " A guy with a string of drug-related arrests saw the
drunk hit Diana's car.  He didn't call it in because he was making a delivery
to some dealer and he would have been late.  " In the coldest voice she'd
ever heard, Judd added, " He just left them there to die while he made his
damn coke delivery.  "

"Oh, Judd..  ."  She didn't know what to say.  She didn't know any words that
would change anything or make him feel any less angry.

With only the intention of offering a scrap of human understanding , she
reached over and took his fisted hand in hers.  It was hot and clammy and
totally unresponsive.  She folded her fingers around his, soothing out the
tension and not letting him go when he tried to pull away.  To her amazqent,
he began to relax, and Adrienne felt a deep sense of well-being that she
could offer him comfort on at least some level.

In a low voice, she asked, "How did you find out about "

"Street contacts "

"Oh: She'd seen some of those contacts at the station.  In her opinion, their
reliability was questionable, but admittedly , those who blended in with the
street would probably be privy to a lot more passed-around information than
an ordinary citizen.

Finally, he said, "It was a long time ago.  I should be over it by now.  At
the very least, I shouldn't be bringing it up and dumping my less than
professional feelings on you."

"I'm glad you did.  Fspecially since I know you're usually careful when it
comes to talking about your personal feelings."

He shrugged.  "There's nothing that can be changed about the past.  They're
both dead and no matter how much I want to think that might not be true if
that piece of human debris had called 9-1-1 or if the bastard who'd been
drunk had stayed out of his car and taken a cab, instead..  : His voioe
trailed off as he pulled his hand from hers and opened the door.  " Come on,
we have a case to solve.  Spending the time going back where neither one of
us can change a damn thing is futile: '

Adrienne got out of the car and closed the door.  As the two of them walked
toward Opal's, Judd put his arm around her and squeezed.

She nestled against him for a moment, slipping an arm around his waist and
feeling a sense of connection, friendship Suddenly she was struck by the
multiplicity of emotions that didn't need words.  Sometimes, she realized,
silence was very much the right choice.

Adrienne wasn't sure what it all meant, but she felt as if she'd seen a tiny
window open inside of Judd.  Maybe, just maybe, his coldness and his
determination to close off emotional reactions-his reputation of having no
heart were justified as much by what hadn't happened as by what had.

She couldn't imagine the deep fury and layers of frustration

Judd must have felt when he' dlearned that there was a witness who hadn't
bothered to stop.  To know that his wife and son might be alive today.  .

Adrienne felt a sudden painful lump in her throat the size of a tennis ball.
This tiny window Judd had opened was important to her because he'd allowed
her to see inside.

Maybe not in a totally agreeable way and not without some prodding, but he'd
permitted her to be a friend and that had a great deal of meaning for her.
Adrienne had always been good at friendships.

"Here we are," Judd said, letting her go and then pausing before knocking.
He glanced to the side, where a view of Narragansett Bay spanned out in the
distance.  "Opal into boats?"

Adrienne cleared her throat.  "Boats?"

"Yeah, that sure looks like a dock beyond where the yard banks down: '

"Maybe.  I don't ever recall her mentioning boating, but this is coastal
Rhode Island: '

Judd raised his hand to knock.  "Ready?"

"I hope so."

Opal opened the door on the third knock.  A slender woman, her hair was
peppered gray and she wore it tied in a ponytail low at the back of her neck.
Her facial skin sagged, and where most people who lived so close to the
waber would have had at least some tan, Opal was as pale as white bread.  She
wore a shapeless dress in a forgettable shade of gray and an apron that
advertised a local grocery slore.

I.  looking at Opal now, Adrienne saw little resemblance to the sketch,
beyond the shape of her face and body.  Then again, with some makeup, perhaps
a wig, it was possible.

"Opal, I know you may not remember me.  I'm Adrienne

Trudell.  "

Opal peered at her, her hemp brown eyes squinting then rounding in
recognition.  "Why, glory be, it is you, Adrienne" Then immediately, her face
broke into a worried look.  "It's not your ma, is it?  She's always runnin'
off hither and yon.  Why, last time I talked to her, she was whoopin' it up
in Texas."

Adrienne shook her head.  "She's still in Texas.  Last I heard, she was
seeing some retired rodeo star."

Opal didn't exactly laugh, but Adrienne sensed she was trying to be polite.
"That ma of yours, she sure does like variety in her men, don't she?"  She
didn't open the door wider or invite them in.

Judd said, "Sqveetheart, we shouldn't keep the lady wondering what we're
doing here "

Adrienne was so taken aback by the endearment that she almost forgot why they
were there.  "Oh, uh, yes.  And I should introduce you.  I already told Judd
about you, Opal.  Judd's my fiancq.  Our engagement isn't official, I don't
even have a ring yet, so you're the first to know.  We came down here to
enjoy the beach and make some plans, when our car broke down a little way up
the street.  I was wondering if Judd could use the phone to call his
mechanic: '

When Adrienne smileq at Judd, she saw he was staring at her as if she had
three heads.  Had she said something wrong?  Opal's grin certainly qqqq she
believed the farfetched tale.

Then, just as quickly, his expression lightened and he tugged her close to
drop a kiss on her forehead.  "I don't think Opal wants to hear our entire
history."

Adrienne snuggled closer to him, wondering why this ruse wasn't more
difficult for her to believe.  If she closed her eyes, she could really
believe Judd took her words seriously Gluing themselves to each other, along
with Judd's little kiss, sure made it feel real.

She gave him a tender glance.  "Of course, you're right.

If Judd could use the phone, Opal, we'll be on our way "

Clearly, Opal couldn't reasonably say no, but Adrienne and Judd both noticed
a ceqtain reluctance.

She glanced furtively behind her and then with a hesitation that had Adrienne
and Judd looking at each other, she nodded.

"Phone's in the kitchen."

Adrienne said, "Go ahead, honey, I'll wait here and catch Opal up on what I'm
doing: '

Judd gave her a direct look and their eyes met, with each understanding
exactly what was going on and what they needed to learn.

Judd went into the empty kitchen, a rather dismal room with little to show
that Opal was much of a cook.  He looked around for any sign of baby formula,
then surreptitiously checked the trash for disposable bottles, but found none.

Taking a long-handled spoon from the counter, he moved the discarded plastic
wrap in the trash to look beneath it and found more plastic.  Carefully, he
lifted one of the scraps and took it over to the window.  "qWell, I'll be
damned," he muttered.  Quickly, he found a clean plastic bag and put the
pieces of plastic inside.  He glanoed out the window and saw a speedboat
bobbing from a line tied to the dock.  When a man walked down the dock, said
something to someone in the boat and then walked back, Judd recognized him.
Boris Skodie, a con man who'd gone into cutting coke for the street.  He was
cruel and ornezy and was known all along the East Coast as a slippery SOB who
always beat the system with the help of a smart lawyer.  Hardly able to
believe the stumble of good luck, he went to the phone and then hesitated.
No, the first thing he had to do was get Adrienne out of here.  Judd had
counted Boris plus two men with him.  And there could be more.  An attempterl
arrest without backup could be dangerous.

Judd moved quickly back to the room where he'd left Adrienne with Opal.  But
Adrienne wasn't there.

Then he heard voices and realized they were in the bedroom For a moment, Judd
blinked in confusion, but then realized that Adrienne had probably talked
Opal into taking her into the bedroom.  Obviously, that was where there might
be signs of a baby.  He was about to go and find her, when she returned.

The disappointment in her face said it all.

"Thanks for the use of your phone," Judd said as he moved forward and took
Adrienne's arm.

She looked surprised by his obvious rush, but didn't object

"It was so good to see you again, Opal: ' " "You be sure and say hi to your
ma for me the next time you see her."

"I'll do that."

Judd hustled her out the door as Opal called out from behind them, "And good
luck.  Hope you both will be real happy."

When they were out of sight of Opal, Judd let Adrienne go and ran to the car.
Inside, he used the radio and issued a scrambled code of messages that
alerted the Coast Guard.  Next, he called Mike, using another set of coded
messages.  By the time Adrienne was in the car, Judd had the vehicle in gear
and was pulling away.  " What is going on?"  she asked as he careened around
a corner toward a small shopping area.  He swung into the parking lot, braked
and was almost out of the car, when Adrienne reached over and grabbed his
arm.  "Judd, what is it?  "

Instead of answering, he asked, "No sign of the kid , huh?  "

She shook her head.  " " I even used the ruse of going to the bathroom so I
could check for any sign of diapers or baby things in case she'd hidden
little Caleb when she went to answer the door.  " " Good thinking," he said
hurriedly.  " Stay here.  I'll be right back.  " She watched as he zigzagged
across the parking lot, literally leaped over a small rock garden and headed
back toward

Opal's.  Adrienne scowled.  Had Judd found something in the latch en that
would lead him to think Caleb was there?  Or had been there?  But if he had
found something, then why had he ordered her to stay here?  She reminded
herself that if he had found Caleb or some sign the baby had been there, the
most important thing was the safety of the infant not making sure she had a
part in the arrest process.  But this was a little too bizarre; the least he
could have done was tell her what was going on.  She'd certainly seen nothing
amiss, and all he'd done was spend less than five minutes in the kitchen.
Besides, she was more inclined to t 'nk he just wanted to get her out of the
way.  If q q qs pqrtner or if she were Mike Shelby, she wouldn't be cooling
her heels, she would be right beside him.  As much as she hated to admit it,
he definitely left little doubt qt he still disliked the idea of working with
her.  "Well, that's just too damn bad," she decided as she opened the door
and got out.  Slinging her canvas bag over her shoulder and putting on her
sunglasses, she hurried in q direction that he'd gone.  As she got closer,
some second thoughts slipped in, but she dismissed them.  Stop giving him the
benefit of the doubt, she scolded herself.  You did that at Macko's and later
found out the real truth-that Keith might have seen the woman who took Caleb.
Adrienne was positive the woman they sought wasn't Opal.  There were no
signs that a baby was in Opal's home vr ever had been.  And there was no way
Opal would have had time to remove every scrap of evidence.  Adrienne was
trained to look for the obvious things a baby would need the diapers,
disposable bottles, powder-but there were also the smells of a baby and
Adrienne hadn't smelled any air freshener that might have been used to cover
that.  Nor had there been any sounds.  Not a one.

And yet, Judd had reacted as if something was wrong.

As Opal's house came into sight, Adrienne halted, her mouth gaping in
astonishment.  Three police can were parked in a way that the street was
blocked to traffic.  Opal's front door stood open and the dock below Opal's
house was swarming with men.

She looked around for Judd and finally saw him talking to Mike.  Behind them,
other officers were taking two men and Opal, in handcuffs, out to the waiting
police wagon.

"My God, they must have had Caleb," she said out loud.  How could she have
been so wrong?  And how had Judd known?

She ran forward, her eyes searching for someone bringing out the baby, but
instead saw two officers come out carrying huge plastic bags.  As the
horrible possibility that the baby might be dead sank into her thoughts, she
started to run.

Judd caught her arm.  "I thought I told you to stay in the car.  Dammit,
Adrienne..  "

But instead of reacting to his anger, she clutched his arm.  She felt a
little woozy and sick to her stomach.  "You were right, Judd.  Maybe I
shouldn't have been working with you on this case.  Maybe I don't even know
what I'm doing.  I should have known something was wrong.  I should have
known it immediately."  Adrienne felt as if she were braced on the edge of
hysteria.  Angry with her own ineptness, she suddenly wondered if there had
been other times in the past when she'd missed some vital piece of
information.

As unrelated as it was to the moment, she had to admit she'd oertainly been
clueless when it came to her relationship with Judd.

Judd took her by the arms and shook her lightly.  "What the hell is the
matter with you?"

She looked at him fully for the first time and saw both annoyance and concern
in his eyes.  "They killed him, didn't

"Killed who?  What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to soften it, Judd.  I'm supposed to be the expert on missing
children and I didn't even sense..  .  oh, my God..  : She covered her face,
and if Judd hadn't been holding her arms, she knew her knees would have
buckled.

Judd pulled her against him, supporting her and letting her burrow against
him.

In a matter-of-fact voice, he said to Mike, "If you don't need me any longer,
I'm gonna split: ' q'We're all set.  Great police work, Judd: '

Still supporting Adrienne, he drew her away and beneath an old tree with
low-hanging limbs, he said, "Angel, look at me."

"I can't.  I should have known.  I should have-"

He kissed her to stop her words, sliding his hand into her hair and holding
her steady.  Not a passionate kiss, it was more to stop her from dissolving
into tears.  q'hen, in a soft whisper against her ear, he said, "None of what
you saw had anything to do with the missing baby.  When I went into the
kitchen, I looked around for any signs of Caleb, just as you were doing.
What I found were dozens of plastic pieces with coke residue.  Then I saw
Boris Skodie on the dock.  We've been trying to get him for over q'o yean for
drug-cutting and intent to deliver.  Apparently Boris, Opal's husband, and
his friends were using Opa1's house to cut the coke for the street and to
ship it via boat to receiving points along the coastline."

Adrienne stepped back and blinked in disbelief.  "Then these arrests have
nothing to do with Caleb."

He nodded.

"You suspected Boris would be there and you used me-" " " No!  " He took a
deep breath and cupped her chin.  " "You and I came here for exactly the
reasons I laid out.  To question

Opal about the kidnapping.  Finding Boris was one of those lucky breaks.  I
had to get you away from there bocause

I didn't have any idea what was involved.  "

Adrienne saggeq against him, feeling foolish that she had jumped to such a
horrendous conclusion regarding Caleb.  Hysteria, rushing to any conclusions
and, most of all, railing at Judd without more proof but her own flawed
assumptions , made her feel very embarrassed.

Carefully she said, "You wanted me to stay in the car so I wouldn't be hurt: '

"Yeah."

" " I could have messed things up, huh?   " " I was more concerned about you
not getting hurt.   I had no idea what I'd be dealing with.   "

As they walked slowly back to where Judd had parked the car, Adrienne
understood for the first time the danger of a civilian's being involved in
serious police work.  Judd's not wanting to work with her went far beyond her
gender, it involved her safety.  Her lack of a calm and experienced approach
had now, she had no doubt, only reinforced every stereotype about women he
had.

She straightened and pressed her lips into a grim line.  She didn't intend to
make such a foolish mistake again.

Chapter S

cc we finally got the information from DMV on the lioense plate.

Juq had just returned to his desk at the station and Mike wqs fiving him in.

"Hu name is Lois Greeley.  And she even resembles the sketch," Mike
commented.  "She lives in Louiston in a honsing comple8.  Age forty-five, and
from the info we got from the local police, she's never had so much as a
parking ticket."  Mike handed the pages to Judd and said, "Litchfield wants
to see you to go over the next move.  You know the chief, he doesn't want any
time wasted."

It had been an hour since the arrests at Opal's house.  Boris and his buddies
were being charged and processed.  Opal had been questioned as to what she
knew and how involved she was in the actual cutting, packaging and delivery
of the coke to the street.  Adrienne had urged her to at;cept the lawyer the
state would provide.  Opal, realizing she was in serious trouble, had finally
agreed.

Adrienne had then gone up to her own office to check through Child-Aid files
in the hopes of finding Lois Greq ley's name.

Now, with Mike at his side, Judd scowled as he flipped through the pages on
the way to the chief's office.  "You said you already searched the list of
former employees as well as the list of former maternity patients at Seapoint
Hospital ?"

" " Yeah, and no one named Lois Greeley was on either of the lists.   And
before you ask, yes, I went over the names twice.   "

"Maybe she used another name."

"We're checking that out: '

Judd nodded.

"And even if there is no alias, that doesn't mean Greeley isn't the one we're
looking for."

Judd stopped outside the chief's office.  "Okay, let's say she is.  But why
Seapoint Hospital?  What in hell is her connection to it?  "

"Maybe there isn't one," Mike said.  "Maybe it was a random choice.  You know
we've seen more and more no apparent -motive crimes.  She might just have
arbitrarily picked a hospital and then earned out her plan: '

"No," Judd said emphatically as they opened the door to the chief's office.
"She had that blue rattle.  Since we know from the call to the supplier this
morning that it wasn't sold separately, then it had to come from one of those
newborn packets.  Afterooon, Chief."

" " Dillon, Shelby, come on in and sit down.   " Frank Litchfield , the
police chief, put out his cigarette and sat back in the wooden barrel-backed
chair.

The office was cluttered with past commendations, but not so obviously
displayed that a visitor would think he was bragging.  They were scattered
here and there as if Frank wasn't sure where to put them or if he really
should have been honored with them to begin with.

He'd been a cop who had worked the streets, and at different points, he'd
headed up homicide and narcotics.  He was known to his men as a cop's cop.
He backed his offioers , had little sympathy for repeat offenders and
continually complained about budget cuts that he said put his men at risk.

A middle-size man, he had a frog like faoe, bumpy skin and enough gruffness
in his voice to have gained him an impressive reputation with most of
Seapoint.

Judd had tremendous respect for him, but he also knew that a summons to the
chief's office usually meant a stepped-up effort on a case.  Now he sprawled
in one of the chain and braced his left foot over his right knee.

Litchfield said, "You look beat, Dillon."

"Just frustrated.  A lot of possibilities that are going now "

"That shouldn't surprise you.  Look how long we've been trying to get Boris.
More than two years.  This kidnapping case is barely thirty-six hours old: '

"Maybe I'm frustrated, because there's a baby involved -" q'And you're
working with a woman and not another

Judd shrugged.  If it were only as simple as just working with Adrienne, but
it was more than that and the "more" was what had him tied up in knots.  It
was being with her.  It was opening up about the guy who hadn't stopped when
he saw Diana and Travis were hurt, and it was the horror he'd aeen on
Adrienne's faoe when she'd thought the Whitewell baby had been found dead.

Sure he wanted the case solved so that the baby would be safe and back with
his parents, but Judd also wanted the case over so he could go back to his
solitary life, where Adrienne wasn't involved in it.  He'd gotten used to
making the rules, setting his own agenda and if there was any personal
involvement with a woman in his life, it was on his terms.  Nothing heavy,
nothing serious and for damn sure nothing complicated.

He'd assumed that was what he'd had that night with Adrienne.  In fact, he
had purposely directed the evening so that he could control it.  He'd made
the moves, they'd gone to her apartment so that he could leave instead of
trying to get her out of his place later.  But most of all, Judd had
definitely and deliberately ignored the temptation that dogged him for weeks
afterward-call her to explain and apologize

Perhaps that was why he'd been so silent.  There was no explanation that
wouldn't have made their night more complicated, no apology that would have
justified his actions Not just because sneaking out of her bed and leaving at
dawn had confirmed his bastard status, but because he'd also been unable to
forget her.

That was the rub.  The last thing Judd wanted was to re member a woman longer
than five minutes.  Adrienne, of course, had never been in his "forgettable"
category, by virtue of the fact that she'd been close friends with Diana.

But Judd had no one to blame but himself for sleeping with Adrienne.  Desire
and some deep need for her that he refused to acknowledge or acoept had
overtaken him.  Yet he didn't need anyone, certainly he didn't need the
emotional tangle of a woman in his life.  His attempts to get past that night
of lush kisses and sultry intimacies that he now found himself thinking about
too damn much, however, had never been totally successful.  Worse, being
assigned to work with her meant spending time together and that could all too
easily turn complicateql.  Hell, never mind that it could, it already had.

"Judd?"

He glanoed up, his frown still very evident.  "

" Sorry, I was

"hying to come up with a valid or, better yet, an official reason for me to
take Adrienne Trudell off the case."

"Yeah, I guess I was," Judd said, wondering if that might indeed still be
possible.  That would sure clear up his problem or would it?  For sure it
wouldn't be the best move for either the Whitewells or the police department.

"Not gonna happen," the chief said.

Judd nodded, reminding himself to stop thinking it qvould.  You'regonna have
to deal with this, Dillon, so make the bqst of it, he thought to himself.

Iitclqeld added, "You do realize that if it hadn't been for qr lmqving Opal
French, you wouldn't have gotten Boris

"I'm aware of that: ' " we have fan ale officers and you've worked with them
ia the past and never objected.  "

"Adrq's not a cop.  Today, when I realized what Boris Was up to, my immediate
reaction was to get her out of

"Which, according to the report you filed, was what you did: '

"But it could have blown the opportunity to get Boris.  Now, if she'd been a
cop-"

"You probably never would have gotten into the house.  We don't know yet how
involved Opal French is, but you can be damn sure that she would have
known-from Adriaqne 's mother, no doubt, since you said the two women were
qiends-that Adrienne was a cop.  Not a possibility in hell,

then, that Opal would have chanced your coming into the house.  "

"Okay," Judd admitted.  "You're right on that, but it doesn't change the fact
that in those few minutes, I wasn't thinking like a cop working with another
cop, but like a cop trying to protect a private citizen."

"And still did your job: Litchfield studied him a few moments.  " Maybe that
non-cop thinking was good for you," he said slowly, as if fearing he was
stepping onto personal territory.  Then carefully, he continued, " Since you
lost Diana, you've been so work-oriented that you've lost perspective a bit.
That's not good for either you or the department"

"This coming from the cop who used to spend twenty hours of every day on the
job?"  Judd scoffed.  "Come on , Frank.  The department thrived when you were
working straight-out and you know it."

"But my wife divorced me and my kids are still reminding me of all the
baseball games I missed.  Hey, look, iYs none of my business and I have no
complaints about your work.  I'm just telling you that contact with the
civilian world does have its advantages."

"I'll take a vacation when this is over: ' " "You've been saying that for the
past year.  In fact, I ran into your father the other day and even he asked
me why we didn't hire more cops so his son didn't have to work all the time."

Judd managed a grin.  "Dad just doesn't like to get dragged to all those
family outings without me there to suffer with him.  Mom doesn't listen to
his excuses about having to work."  Then he eyed the chief suspiciously.  "Is
my supposed stress factor the reason you called me in here?  I was under the
impression you wanted to discuss the Whitq well case."

Iq Ion's Reckoning 129

Litchfield sighed.  "You're a stubborn bastard, Dillon: '

Judd turned to Mike, who had been listening to this with qqiqous silence.
"And I don't want a lecture from you, either, Shelby "

Mike held up both hands.  "Hey, I'm a quiet little mouse here, just doing my
job.  Far be it from me to offer advice if you won't take it from the chief."

A tenporary silence thickened in the offioe, but finally We clqief cleared
his throat.  "LeYs get back to work here."

Iitchfield picked up his phone and punched out a number.

"Evelyn, tell Adrienne I want to see her in my office."  He fiqvvned.  "What
do you mean she went home to change clothes?"  Scowling fiercely, he barked,
"Call her and tell her this isn't a fashion show.  I want her in my office in
fifneen minutes."  He dropped the reoeiver onto its cradle.

"God, just what I needed.  A woman more worried about her clothes than the
case."

"Chief, it's not that," Judd said, taking up her defense and not sure why.
This was probably a good out for him, gnd the chief just might have some
second thoughts about _ having put her on the case.  But Judd couldn't do it.
He kqw why Adrienne had gone home to change and he knew qtbecause he knew
her.  Dammit, it was just one more reason why being with her was too
complicated.  " " No7 Then what in hell is it?  " q'qenne was wearing shorts.
Beach-type clothes for the ' visit to Opal.  My guess is that she doesn't
want to walk around the department dressed like that.  She has a thing about
being professional."

Litchfield thought for a moment, then conceded.  "Okay, q'" I sdmit I
wouldn't have liked her parading around here in qorts.  " He glanced at Mike.
" Take a run downstairs and an eye out for her.  And instead of coming back
here, how Opal's questioning is going: '

"

" Yes, sir.   "

Once Mike was gone, Litchfield turned to Judd.  "Let me run this by you so
you know what we're going to do "

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like it: '

"Because you won't: '

"Terrific: '

"I just got off the phone with the Louiston police.  They did some checking
with the neighbors for us on the Greeley woman.  She came home late last
night, probably after Keith saw her.  Apparently, one of the neighbors, a
Hester Marple , knows Lois well.  She saw Lois get out of her car and carry a
wrapped bundle into her apartment.  Then she came back out and carried in a
bunch of bags and a small suitcase The neighbor said she knew Lois had had
her baby because she wasn't pregnant anymore and the bundle must have been
the infant: '

Judd sat up straight.  "She wasn't pregnant anymore?"

 "

" That's what she said: '

"Or Keith was wrong and this is just a string of damn coincidences.  Here we
are trying to nail down this woman and the real culprit could be halfway
across the country."

"Or Lois is the woman and she never was pregnant."

Judd gave Litchfield a long look.  "She faked a pregnancy to divert suspicion
for when she brought a baby home?"

" " That's one of the things you and Adrienne are going to " " find out.
The chief glanced up.   Come on in, Adrienne.

Judd, who still wore his faded jeans, glanced around to the door.  She'd
changed to a soft pink suit with a white blouse open at the throat.  No
necktie, he noted, and wondered if she'd left it off because of what he'd
said.  Probably not, he decided grimly.  After the few conversations they'd
had, Judd didn't get the impression that Adrienne was going to dress with him
in mind.

She sat down in the chair beside Judd.

"How are you doing?"  he asked softly.

"Still a little shaken, but I'm okay."

"Listen, I should have told you why I wanted you out of the way."

"You were probably afraid I'd ask too many questions."

"Maybe.  Time was a major factor."

"I guess I was just so focused on the baby's being there..  .  I overreacted.
I shouldn't have instantly assumed the worst about Caleb: '

They both glanced at a scowling Litchfield.  "Could you two save the mutual
apologies for another time?  "

Judd straightened.  Litchfield's eyes were hard and all business.  Obviously,
the case was central in the chief's thoughts and any diversion became an
intrusion.

Hell, Judd wondered, what was wrong with his own focus , anyway?  Getting all
soft and mushy had never been his style.  Thinking back on what the chief had
said about working too much, Judd grimaoed.  Maybe he should reconsider
taking a vacation.  Working with Adrienne had all the earmarks of a high
stress level.  " Litchfield filled her in on what they had on Lois Gresley
and then asked her, " What, if anything, did Child-Aid have on her?  "

"No listing, but Evelyn is doing a national check with other agencies that
deal with missing children."

"All right.  Evelyn will keep me informed and I'll make sure you two get that
information and any other we find."

Judd sat forward, immediately alert.  "You'll make sure we get it?  That
sounds- "

"Exactly like it sounds.  I'm sending you two up to q:;.Louiston for a couple
of days."

"Oh, hell."  He felt Adrienne stiffen beside him, but he didn't look at her.
No doubt she didn't like this arrangement any better than he did.

"It's the best lead we've got.  Keith Cokeburn m'd the sketch, and we both
know, given his own problem, he wouldn't have come to you if there had been
any way he could have avoided it."

"And what if this Greeley woman is clean?"

" " Then we've lost a couple of days.   The alternative of her being the
kidnapper and us either sitting on the lead or a1lowing her to get away would
be worse.   Besides, the entire department is on this, so we'll be checking
out any new info that comes in: '

"A two-day stakeout in Louiston."  Judd shuddered.

"I think I.ouiston is a quaint little town," Adrienne offered

"If you're comatose."

"It has a quiet, stress-free environment, Judd.  You make it sound like it
hasn't come into the twentieth century."

"And likely to miss the twenty-first, too."

"Okay, you two.  You obviously have a difference of opinion.  You can hash it
out while you're there.  Judd, I don't want you going in there as a cop, and
Adrienne, you're nQt to reveal you're an expert on missing kids: '

"Let me guess," Judd said sarcastically.  "We're on our honeymoon.  Our plans
to go to the Cayman Islands changed, so we took our second choice.  A mecca
of tourist delights in beautiful Louiston."

The chief looked at Adrienne, his eyes amused.  "Would you want to honeymoon
with this guy?  Even a fake one?"

"Not a chance," she said forcefully.

"Guess we'll have to go with plan two, Judd," the chief said.

"I can hardly wait: '

qTlon's Reckoning 133

"We want to make this as simple as we can.  You two will be old friends of
I,ois's who have just returned from a vacation on Cape Cod.  You've decided
to stop and visit with her before you return to the West Coast.  That should
cover you as far as the neighbors.  As to the Greeley woman.  :.  I don't
want any false arrests, and if this woman has the Whitewell baby, you're
going to have to be damn careful."

"Make sure iYs the Whitewell baby and not really hers before we make any
moves on her, " Judd said.  'qYeah.  You'll have to stay a couple of nights,
so you'll need to bring changes of clothes.  There a motel across the street
from the complex where Lois lives, so you'll have a place to-"

"Wait a minute," Judd interrupted.  "When you said a couple of days, I
thought you meant that as the max time for a stakeout.  Why are we staying in
some motel?  If we know wlae she is and she has the kid, why don't we move in
on ha rather than hang around asking questions?  ThaYs going to look as
suspicious as hell."

"Judd's right," Adrienne added.  "And it might make her run again: '

Litchfield tapped a pencil on the desk, his face grim.  "and thaYs the
problem.  She's already run again.  She left I.ouiston this afternoon with
the baby."

Judd closed his eyes and cursed.  If the computers at the tiaotor vehicle
registry hadn't been down, they would have q&adthat plate number confirmed
hours ago.  They could ltsve moved in and gotten I,ois before she split.  Of
course, qre was still the possibility she wasn't the woman who'd taken the
baby, but Judd wouldn't have placed any major money on that.

If he were truthful, at least with himself, he knew it wasn't going to
Louiston or doing a stakeout that was bothering him.  Most of a cop's life
was hurry-up and wait.  Dig out the evidenoe, piece it together and make sure
it's ironclad.  And in the process, the long lulls between gathering the
eqidence and putting the pieces together for an airtight case can take
endless patience and multiple months of frustration.  This was two days,
minuscule by police time, and yet he dreaded it.

Taking a deep breath, he reminql lqqlf that choice wasn't a high priority for
a cop.  You went and did the job and did it the best way you could.  What he
needed to make himself understand was that Adrienne had the same goal.

That's all that was involved here.  "Iqvo very different people with two very
different jobs.  And one goal.  Getting Caleb Whitewell home safely.

The tension between them, the personal reactions such as holding her when
she'd thought Caleb was dead and even that kiss at his house.  .  All of
those could be put into context , they could be explained in a dozen
different ways.  None of them meant anything and none would lead to anything
unless he let them.  And dammit, he had no intention of letting them.

He glanoed over at Adrienne and wondered if she was also riddled with
thoughts about how they would deal with two days of closer than close contact.

But instead of looking worried, she only looked puzzled, as if she was trying
to figure out why they were going to

Louiston if Lois wasn't there.

"There's no other way this could be done.  That's what you're telling me:
Judd was already resigned to the inevitable and wishing like hell Lois would
walk in here right noqw and give herself up.

"But why are we going if Lois isn't there?"  Adriemx asked.

flillon's Reckoning 135

"This neighbor claims that Lois went away for a few days, but is coming back.
Since we don't know who she went to see or where, waiting for her to return
is the best move.

"I don't want to hang up my best detective for the fun of it.  I'd like
nothing better than to send a couple of undercavver street cops, but
I,ouiston is too small a town for that, it wouldn't work.  For this case, a
man and woman, a couple , are the ideal choice."

 "qy q't we just get a man and a woman who are both

Adrienne leaned forward.  "I'm on this, Judd, and I'm going to stay.  Finding
missing kids, no matter what the circximstances , is my job, and if you think
you can maneuver q out because I don't wear a badge or carry a gun, you're
wrong."

Judd straightened, a little surprised at the edge in her voioe as well as the
determination behind her words.  "I'm not trying to maneuver you out- "

"Fqrthermore, Chief Litchfield asked Evelyn to put me on this case, and if
anyone is going to get off it, it will be q'Now, wait just a damn minute."

"No, you wait a minute.  You've made it clear what you : tqink of working
with me, but your opinion doesn't matter :qfig to me.  What matters is
finding Caleb Whitewell and q getting him back safely."

"And you think that doesn't matter to me?"  q - "I think you're afraid I
might know what I'm doing and tbq you might-and I emphasize " might'-have to
change qyaur opinion of me.  " She glared at him.  " And heaven help if the
great detective Judd Dillon has to alter some in judgment that was wrong from
the beginning.  "

"Most of the time, I'm not wrong," he snapped, irritated that he was having
an argument with her that had no possible outcome he was going to like.

"All the time, you've been wrong about me," she said so strongly, it
immediately took on more connotation than their earlier conversations about
working together.

Judd started to say something and then closed his mouth.

She glowered at him, her cheeks flushed with anger.

He glared back at her, his mouth grim and his thoughts hopping around as
erratically as a bag of jumping beans.

Litchfield stood.  "I want you two on your way to Louiston by tonight.  Let
the Louiston police know when you arrive They've promised any assistance you
might need, but they won't interfere."

Neither Judd nor Adrienne moved.

"Okay," the chief said.  "ThaYs it."

Adrienne rose.  To Judd she said, "I'm going home to pack some things.  You
can pick me up in forty-five minutes And don't be late.  If we get to
Louiston before dark we'll have some time to check things out: ' " "Thank you
very much for the instructions, Ms. Zirudell ," he said darkly.  "In your
next life, you should consider being a cop: ' " "Only if it affords me the
opportunity of working with a professional like you, Detective Dillon," she
said with the kind of sweetness that dripped with sarcasm.  "I'll see you in
forty-five minutes."

She marched out of the office with her back straight, and not once did she
look back.

Litchfield shook his head.  "Whew.  That is not a lady I would like to cross:
'

"Just be thankful you don't have to work with her."

Iqiuon's Reckoning 137 q'Judd.  " He hesitated.  " Is something else going on
qetween you two?  Something personal?  Is that why you kept saying a female
cop would be better?  "

"Adrienne and Diana were friends, so I do know her outqide her work for
Child-Aid: '

"My God, that's right.  Look, maybe I can get Shelby on this with her."

"

" No.   "

"But if working with her is going to continue to be so distcacting and
scrappy, the time to make the change is n.  "

It was the perfect out.  No more tension.  No more impromptu kisses.  No more
risks of revealing stuff about himself.  So why wasn't he jumping at the
opportunity?

A helluva good question.

"I want to do this, Frank.  Maybe it goes back to my not being available when
Diana and " IYavis needed me.  I should have been with them when they were
going to visit Diana's parents.  Instead, I stayed here to finish up some
stray dq tails on a case and planned to meet them the negt day.  But ttqa'e
wasn't a next day for them.  " Judd paused a moment u once again the memory
of getting the news of the acciqdent washed over him, " I know there aren't a
lot of simiqts qqeen this case and the accident, but I'm not about qo let a
case go just because I'm not too thrilled about "qrorking with Adrienne.  And
you're right.  The low-profile qqch qows for more flexibility and a lot less
chance ;qt q qlq, woman or her neighbors will be on to us: '

"Adrienne was right about one thing " q"" qYeah?  WhaYs that?  " " " qqYou
are a professional, Detective Dillon.  " qq:::: Judd grinnq, "But I don't
think she meant it as a comt : He glanced at his watch.  " "I better get a
move on.  ' g her, she probably will leave without me."

qissertiveness definitely works.  Especially when it came to dealing with
Judd Dillon.

Adrienne came to both conclusions with a small smile as they left the
interstate and headed down a two-lane highway toward I,ouiston.  "Iqvo hours
had passed since she'd let Judd know at the police station that she had no
intention of being some passive helpmate in finding little Caleb.  She'd
known for years that she was basically a strong woman, she'd had to be, since
too often her mother hadn't beqn around to make the decisions and choices a
parent usually made for their child.

In some ways, her mother's lack of attention had made Adrienne more capable,
she'd had to develop a mature independence earlier in life.  But she knew
there a,as a wide difference between being strong and being demanding, be
tweqn being assertive and being bitcby.

Yet Adrienne also relied on internal instincts.  Often in her job, a low-key
approach got the best results.  She didn't need to prove she was skillful.
That was the sort of thing those she helped and those she worked with would
have to evaluate.

Still, she exuded a certain level of confidence, given her credentials and
willingness to exact help from every available source when a child was
missing.  Success in finding children and getqing them home safe was by no
means a one person crusade.  Many people were involved and Adrienne , viewed
herself as the one who simply took all the elements and worked through the
tedious details to the eventual locating of the missing child.

For the most part, Child-Aid was structured so that

Adrienne ran the fieldwork and Evelyn, although technically her boss, was
more a buffer and coordinator.  The two women had each found her own niche
and functioned , beautifully as a team.

Now, however, working with Judd had brought her head to -head with a man who
viewed being in charge as not only his job, but his role.  For the most part,
she was willing to bend; she wasn't a cop, and Judd, as she'd already
witnessed , was particularly adept at asking the right questions to get the
information he needed.  Working with him, she knew, would be insightful and
educational but he did more than inspire admiration for his professionalism.
He was also adept at throwing her emotions into chaos.  Not only had she
willingly participated in that kiss at his house when they'd gone to look for
Travis's rattle, but she'd practically fallen into Judd's arms at Opal's.
The latter encounter may have been excusable, but Adrienne had determined
that her behavior had been improper and unbefitting, despite the
circumstances Not her terror that something awful had happened to the baby,
but that she'd reacted in such an emotional way, thereby allowing Judd to see
her weak and vulnerable.  Obviously, his talk in the police chief's office of
replacing her had been strengthened by her actions at Opal's.

The last time she'd beqn in such a vulnerable state, she'd been so convinced
she loved him that she'd allowed him to come home with her and they'd spent
the night in her bed, The humiliation of having exposed her feelings had been
mortifyingly proven the next morning when she'd heard him sneaking out.

Although making love with him in her apartment a year ago and falling apart
in his arms at Opal's were not even closely related, there was a principle
involved.  Pride.  And given the direction the conversation in Chief
Litchfield's office had been going, Adrienne knew she had to assert herself
and make clear that her tears at Opal's had been the result of unusual
circumstances.

She had no intention of acting passively acceptant of whatever he wanted and
whatever he did.  She realized that saying it and doing it were two different
things, but standing up for her role in helping to find Caleb had proved-at
least to her-that she could be forceful when necessary.

Sighing, she scooted lower in the seat and watched the rich colors of the
August sunset sink into the horizon.  She'd worn an apricot sundress with a
laced-up bodioe and a flared skirt.  She'd chosen the outfit based on who she
and Judd were supposed to be in Louiston-friends of Lois's who were finishing
their New England vacation by stopping in to say hello to an old friend.  She
sat quietly as the miles sped by, her eyes getting drowsy.

Moments later, Judd asked, "You still awake?"

" " Of course I'm awake, "she said, blinking furiously and straightening in
the seat.

"You haven't said five words since we left Seapoint."

 "

" You haven't said anything, either: :

Without looking at her, he said, "I'm nursing my q wounded ego: '

She gave him a sideways glance, but his expression qhowed neither amusement
nor seriousness.  It was such an odd thing for Judd to say, she wasn't sure
if he was being honest or looking for her to apologize, so she opted for the
middle ground.  "I can't imagine that you would allow anyone , especially a
woman, to wound your ego: '

"Most that I know-men and women-don't chew me up in front of the chief."

There was no rancor in his voice and that puzzled her.

Other men she'd known would have launched into a long lee,qture about exactly
who was in charge and who should qnow their place.

Adrienne studied the passing landscape.  Maybe she'd embarrassed him; that
had never been her intent.  She started to say just that and realized she
might very well be falling into some trap.

Judd Dillon embarrassed?

By a woman?

Disbelief at that possibility had her dismissing the idea.  q He was far too
sure of himself, too good at his job, too preqcise and professional to allow
something as insignificant as ql clash of roles to cause him any chagrin.
qrning in her seat and looking at him, she said, "All I :.qeas doing in the
chief's office was letting you know where I -qod.  If I hadn't said anything,
you would have found some qqovay to get me replaced."

"Replaced because working with a civilian is tricky.  You qion't know the
ropes and consciously or subconsciously, tend to be more protective of a
civilian than of an cop It's an entrenched mind-set."  His profile couldn't
described as anything but grimly resolved.  "And with involved, there's a
double complication because I also know you on a personal level.  I don't
want our being stuck together to become problematic."

Adrienne chose to ignore the implications of "problematic" "Pardon me,
Detective Dillon, but we're not " stuck together," we're working togetheT "

She waited for him to come back with one of his Ms,

Trudell comments, but he said nothing.  A few cars passeq and in the distance
the lights of Louiston bled through the trees.  Judd seemed to grip the wheel
harder and center his concentration on the road.

Feeling more sure of herself, she added, "You knovr, these couple of days
together could be a very enlightening experience for both of us: '

He drove silently and then with a curse, he pulled off the road into an
oval-shaped rest stop area.  Stopping the car, switching off the engine and
swinging around to faoe her, lq snapped, "I don't need to be enlightened and
you don't, either.  We've been down that path once before and the residue of
the experience has already affected our working together "

Adrienne glared back at him.  "The residue?  What a wonderfully complimentary
word " " " Seeing it that way keeps things in perspective.  "

"For who?  You're the one all hung up about that night, not me."

"The hell with that night.  The hang-up is all about right now and how
neither one of us can't get beyond it: '

She folded her arms and scowled.  "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, you do.  That's why you're all stiff and tense and sitting there as if
someone put you into a straitjacket."

Appalled thax he'd so thoroughly described the way she' felt, when siqe
wasn't even sure herself, she narrowed ha eyes and gave him a strident look.
"If you're insinuatinq;

:q qon's Reckoning 143 "q tqat I'm still carrying feelings for you because we
slept togqer one time, you're, well, you're just plain wrong: '

"Am I?  I don't think so: '

Adrienne was glad for the shadows inside the car.  She qw her faoe was
flushed and her pulse pounded with both qiety and alarm.  In as even a voice
as she could muster, sbc said, "I am not in love with you, Judd Dillon, nor
would

I ever be so foolish as to even entertain the notion: ' "qWho said anything
about love?"  he asked so offhandedly that she knew the word, never mind the
emotion, was no Ionger valid for him.  In a dull, flat voice, he added, " "
My qnterest or need for that particular emotion died with Ditqna : '

She sucked in her breath, feeling a wrenching twist in her qart.  Suddenly,
the irritation and the need to pick at him qoqere gone.  The emotionally dead
couldn't be brought back to life with mere satisfying lovemaking.  That was
what he'd zeally said.  That was what he'd learned that night with her, and
now he wanted her to understand clearly and concisely that passing time with
her, kissing her and even the obvious desire he still had for her didn't make
a difference.  She q qndn't affected him.  q: Working with her was just that.
And wasn't that exactly riqhat she'd wanted them to be-co-workers, two
profesqionals concerned only with the single-minded goal of findqq a missing
baby?  =- qqwe should get going," she said, desperate to get off the
r'qIubject they were on.  qqqq' She'd spent an entire year convincing herself
she felt thing for Judd and now in barely a blink of time, she felt ged with
uncertainties and eniotions that threatened to p forth and humiliate her.
qqqmn," he muttered and shoved his hand through his

"Judd..  : Her voice trailed off, for she didn't know what to say.  It wasn't
that she wanted to comfort him or open any emotional wounds, but she also
didn't want him to think she was going to be some gooey reminder of the past.

She reached over and touched his arm.  To her astonishment , he jumped as if
she'd snuck up on him.  But when she started to pull back, he gripped her
wrist.

Staring at her, he said, "You stir up too much of the past for me, Adrienne."

"I didn't want to," she said sympathetically.  "I've already said too much to
you already."

He watcheq her for a long time and she felt dizzy from the smoky intensity of
his grqen eyes.  He tugged her toward him, his words urgent.  "Come here."

She stiffened.  "That will only make everything more complicated."

"Probably."  He drew her closer and she went, despite a dozen warnings that
buzzed through her mind.

"After all we just said," she began uneasily.

"I still want to kiss you.  ThaYs my big problem with you, angel.  Kissing
you and hoping it will be enough."

His mouth came down on hers so quickly and so thoroughly , Adrienne went
boneless.  He released the seat to give him more room.  Without
preliminaries, he lifted his mouth long enough to pull her across his lap so
that she sat straddled and facing him.  The potent green of his eyes was both
icy and hot and Adrienne wished she had the presence of mind to think about
how close those two responses were to' the way he'd looked at her that night
a year ago.

You're going to get hurt.

You're going to be left bereft and lost.

Push away.  Get away.

Tell him no.  Tell yourself no.

qrTlon's Reckoning 145 yet she didn't move.  Her heart slammed and she could
fod his as he wound his hands into her hair, dispensqg qth the gold clip that
had held it in plaoe, and onoe again, withont words, pulled her mouth down on
his.

This time, the kiss deepened and Adrienne found herself drowning in a
churning pool of sensation.  Tastes and textures and the tantalizing
expertise of the one man whose mouth could make her forget all the reasons
that she should be objecting instead of sinking deeper.

Her breasts tingled and the juxtaposition of their bodies allowed her thighs
to grip his hips as she nestled into him.  The flare of her dress bunched up
in her lap, exposing her tanned thighs.

Judd groaned.  "You're too good at this..  : '

"Maybe it will relieve the tension."  'qOnly when hell becomes a deep freeze.
" q car windows were open and the evening sounds of aickets surrounded them.
In the distance, the noise of civilircation echoed but couldn't intrude.

Sinking dq still and not sure she could stop the phinge, or that she even
wanted to, she pushed her hands qrto his saddle brown hair and let herself
move with the kiss.  $qe shouldn't; she knew she should be pushing him away,
qjecting, reminding him who they were and why they were qether.  Yet, for
just this single wickedly stormy moment, qe wanted to forget the restraints
and ramifications of later.  q, Judd, ioo, knq he was dangerously close to
losing conlqol of himself.  Kissing Adrienne wasn't like kissing any woman.
That particular piece of insight had made it known that night at the bar when
the intent of the kiss been light and teasing.  Her taste had swamped him and
d known then she was an experience he wanted, and ted badly.

Kisses with Adrienne were heated and sultry, exhausting and satiating.
Seductive kisses were for more blatant women.  Always with Adrienne, the
intimacy leapt ahead so quickly, Judd would be in up to his neck and wishing
like hell he knew what had happened.

This time he knew.  He'd taken the leap in a deliberate attempt to show
her-not tell her-what their being together could become.  Not would.  Could.
Hell, maybe he was counting on her to keep the restraints in place.  And just
maybe, those restraints were exactly what made her so q sir able

He ran his hands along the sides of her breasts, the cross lacing on the
bodice of her dress both intriguing and irritating He pulled the cord loose
and released the catch of her bra.  Her breasts, warm and full spilled into
his hands.  His pahns brushed her nipples, their tightness scorching him.

She arched her back just enough that any hope Judd might have entertained
that she would halt where they were going collapsed.

With a supreme effort of will, he made himself slow down, ignoring the
tantalizing possibility of taking this aq further.  Kisses in the car that
later led to going to bed wai exactly what had happened to them that night.
This time, the trouble was that he didn't think they'd even get so far as a
bed if he didn't stop them.

He eased her back a little, kissing her softly.  For just a second, she
protested and Judd cursed the inner voice that warned him that he could hold
no one but himself responsible if she accused him of starting this.

"You're a dangerous lady," he whispered, brushing hia fingers down her throat
and across her breasts.

She shrank back, fumbling with her clothes.

Once she had the bra hooked, Judd tightened the laces og w her dress.
"Adrienne..  : '

"I don't want to talk about it "

"I started this and- " "qd you stopped it.  What does that make me but some
veideeyed, silly female who falls into your arms as if I'm starved for a
man's touch."  She settled herself back in her own seat and refused to look
at him.

He reached over and cupped her chin.  She stubbornly qvouldn't meet his eyes
when he turned her faoe toward his.

In a gruff voioe, he said, "You're not sitly, you didn't fall into my arms
and what in hell is wrong with your wanting a man's touch?"

The question puzzled her because it made sense.  There wasn't anything wrong
with wanting a man to want her, to touch her, to love her.  Her problem was
that she wanted those things from Judd, who might return them on a physical
level, but beyond that.  .

Finally, she said, "Maybe I just don't know how to handle you: '

Judd didn't say anything, but released her and once again q"&started the
engine.

"LeYsjust leave it at that," he muttered after a few moqents , suddenly too
damn aware her retioence wasn't even s:qqose to his problem of handling her,
wanting her and rq ;qqSing to consider anything beyond that.  His difficulty
was q.  how to make an honest admission that something could exqqq between
them besides sex.

No, dammit.  No.  He'd been down that road of reckon called
love-and-forever-after.  Not again.  Never, never

The tiny town of Louiston hadn't changed, Adrienne ought as Judd drove past a
once-profitable potato farm at had been sold to a developer.  A sign had been
plunked qe edge of the property that read Coming Soon-Af fordable Homes.
Overdeveloped and then gripped by an exodus when the last of the old shirt
and sweater mills shut down, Louiston had never quite recovered.

It was located too many miles off the interstate system to get any notice
except by someone who had reason to drive there.

The town proper consisted of a main street that was called Main Street and a
town square where a century-weary and paint-peeled statue of Paul Revere held
center stage.  There had never been any evidence of the midnight rider being
in Louiston, but rumor had it that the town's founder, Amos Revere, claimed
kinship.  When Amos decided Louiston needed a hero, a statue of Paul was
crafted and erected so that it would be seen by everyone who passed through
town.

Adrienne studied the statue as Judd drove by and turned left, going toward
the housing complex where I,ois had an apartment.  Wanting to put those last
intimate moments they'd shared before they'd driven into town out of her
thoughts and out of the con venation she asked Judd, "Did you ever believe
that story about Paul Revere riding through Louiston?"

Judd had said little in the past few minutes, and while his silence raised a
thousand questions she shouldn't even be thinking about, she was grateful the
issue of their kiss and its ramifications had been dropped.

Now he briefly glanced at her.  " " What?  I was looking for the street
names.  "

"My mother used to tell me that story, and when we came up here to visit my
aunt, I used to wonder how Paul Rqevere knew it was Louiston, when the town
wasn't even settled until after the revolutionary war."

"I have no idea.  Louiston's history isn't high on my priority list: ' " "You
made that clear back at the station- "

"And if the looks of the place are anything to go on, you can be sure I
haven't had any second thoughts," he comqted , making l,ouiston sound like an
infected wart.

"Hq, q you possibly have something against a whole town?"

"Because a lot of the criminal element in the state has operated out of
Louiston.  And every time the town is mentioned at the station, it's in the
context of something illegal And making it even less endearing to me, it was
up here that I spent a few days tracking down the drunk who killed Diana and
" IYavis: '

"Oh: '

"So, please spare me the bouquets about I,ouiston.  IYs a dump and the fact
that the Greeley woman lives here says all tqae is to say about her."

"You know," she said, not willing to be so all condemning , "I could take
offense since I once had relatives in Louiston."  q'Onoe had?  Then they
obviously came to their senses and q'Actually, they died.  " q'So much for a
long life in Louiston."  qldtlenne sighed, thinking that Judd was
overreacting, tt understanding that the town wouldn't hold good memss for him
simply because he'd spent some of the darkest qys of his life here.  Adrienne
had known that the driver q,t qen arrested until over a week after the
funeralq ie'd also heard that Judd had pushed the rules so he could q part of
the arrest team, despite his having been ordered stay out of the case.  To be
honest, she hadn't been surprised at his actions, but qd qeen concerned that
he might step over the line and qet he was a cop, forget that killing the guy
who had qed Judd's family wouldn't bring them back.

Of course, she'd never said anything to Judd, but she'd held out hope daily
while the driver was being hunted that Judd wouldn't destroy his own life by
committing a crime himself.  In the end, she recalled, he had let the law
handle the drunk driver.

Sometimes, like now, she considered how entwined Judd was in her thoughts.
When he didn't know it.  When she would have preferred to be think;ng about
anyone else.  When she faced the constant battle between a deep feeling for
him that she feared, and the certain knowledge that he cared nothing for her
beyond a single night of seq.

"There's her apartment house."  Judd indicated a two story building, its
white paint peeling, its front walk a strip of cracked concrete.

There were more apartments all laid out in a row, showing that whoever had
constructed them was more interested in getting houses built than in any kind
of aesthetic arrangement

"She must live on the second floor," Adrienne said, peering up at the
windows.  "It's all dark: '

Judd stopped the car and got out.  Adrienne did likewise.  Together, they
walked up the cracked concrete path and onto a skinny sheltered porch, if it
could be called a porch.  It was more a stoop with a roof.  Four locked
mailboges hung to their left and Judd looked for names.  Greeley was one of
the names, although it was faded.

He said, "Looks as if she's not a new tenant."

Adrienne looked at the rest of the names.  They all appeared faded, as if
they, too, had been there a while.

Judd opened the front door that revealed a common hallway.  They were greeted
by the smell of sausage and the sound of a barking dog.  He tucked Adrienne
behind him.

"It sounds like a small dog," she said in a low voice anq wondered why she
was whispering.

Dillon's Reckoning I51

"Yeah.  The kind that eats your ankle instead of your

Hefore they could start up the stairs, one of the first-floor daors opened a
crack and a slice of face showed.  "Who you lookin' for?"  the woman said.

Judd took Adrienne's hand.  "

" Lois Greeley.   "

"What for?"

Adrsnne managed a smile that she hoped looked friendly and not strained.
"We're old friends of hers from years ago.  We told her we were going to be
vacationing in New England for a few weeks and promised to stop by and see
her."

"You don't look like any of her other friends."

Adrienne and Judd exchanged glances and both wondered just what Lois's
friends did look like.

"Well, people do change, you know," Adrienne said, not having the remotest
idea what she meant, but hoping it sounded plausible to the woman.

From what they could see of her expression, it was stone - ilqe and
suspicious.  "She ain't here, so you two better be on q,q way."  She started
to close the door, when Judd quickly "sqopped her.

"You know when she'll be back?"  q--No, and I don't care.  " q" ' "Look,
Ms.?"  Judd queried, smiling.

The woman's chin jutted out.  "I don't have to tell you my e.  Now, go on,
get out of here."  qq "Judd," Adrienne said, looping her arm through his, but
' g warmly at the woman, "I just bet this is Hester le.  Lois mentioned her
in some of her letters."

"Judd didn't miss a beat.   " Of course.   I should have immediately " ~: ,
q door opened a crack wider, the woman's curiosity ' usly outweighing her
suspicion.   They could see she was ' g a small dog.   " " Lois talked about
me?   "

"Yes, yes, she did," Adrienne said.

Hester peered at Judd and then at Adrienne.  In a defensive way, she asked,
"WhaYd she say?"

Judd muttered to Adrienne.  "Good luck: '

Adrienne clutched his hand tighter.  He was going to let her do this and she
prayed she wouldn't mess it up.  In a low and she hoped confident voice, she
said, "Idon't think I should say in front of Judd.  Lois knew I would keep
whatever she told me in confidence and I have.  I haven't breatheq a word to
a soul "

Judd muttered something she couldn't make out.

Hester's eyes narrowed and the dog stretched to sniff Judd.  The animal
yipped a few more times and Judd took a step back.

"I think he likes you," Adrienne whispered.  "

" Or wants to chew on me.   "

Hester got a tighter grip on the dog.  "I told Lois them were my secrets.
She promised she wouldn't tell."

Adrienne nodded.  "Lois is very good with secrets, isn't she?"

Hester snorted.  "Not if she blabbed to you: Then, as if suddenly realizing
something, she said, " Say, if you knoqv so much about secrets, how come you
didn't know she had a kid.  "

Without missing a beat, Judd said, "That's one of the reasons we stopped by."

Adrienne homed in on a new angle.  "Lois did mention she wanted to keep the
baby a secret, but she never did sag why.  Do you know, Hester?"

"Well, of course I know!"  she snapped.

Adrienne felt her heart lurch.  Judd must have sensed a change in her for he
put his arm around her and drew hu'a close.

Hester said, "Ain't gonna say cuz Lois wants it to be a qret.  Said she'd be
back in a few days.  You can ask her then: '

"But the baby is okay?"  Adrienne asked, trying to sound nnly curious and not
overly concerned.

"Yeah, sure.  Cute little fellow, if you like kids.  Me?  I like zny Prissy
here.  Kids grow up to be nothin' but trouble."  She shuddered.  "Nothin' but
a pack of trouble."  With that, she qlammed the door.

Back outside, Judd shook his head.  "Hester Marple and q aqck dog, Prissy.
God.  It's like something out of a bad qqm: q,

"But we know Lois has Caleb," Adrienne said, the ex '"abement evident in her
voice.

"No, we know she has a kid."

Back in the car, Judd turned to her.  "Okay, how did you q qgnow her name?"

"It was on one of the mailboxes.  Since the chief menqtioned

Hester Marple was a neighbor of Lois's, it seemed to

;.  st: '

Judd scowled.  "So you took a shot in the dark that she q:' was Hester q.
q..  She shrugged.  " "It's called taking charge and throwing the qq qer
person off guard by taking the initiative.  I learned the q qtraqegy in an
assertiveness class I was taking and it's been qray useful in my work.
Strangers don't expect you to know qything about them, and since most people
have some seqts , it's simply a matter of looking and sounding as if you qmow
more about them than you really do."  ' "What if she hadn't been Hester?"
,qI would have thought of something.  " ' q'Is that some new method of
finding missing kids?  Some of wing-it type crap shoot where you hope you get

"Sometimes," she replied breezily, "you have to use unusual approaches to get
the information you need."

"Maybe bringing you along was a good idea."

"Why, thank you, Detective Dillon: '

"You're quite welcome, Ms. Trudell.  And while you're coming up with all
these great ideas, do you want adjoining rooms at the Sleepy Hollow Motel?
Or do you want to further the enlightenment about our relationship and get a
single ?"

He was teasing her, she knew.  What distressed her was how tempting it was to
say yes, let's get a single.  "After what happened a little while ago, we'd
probably be better off in separate motels," she said grimly.

Judd drove to the next block and into the parking area of a long row of
indistinctive motel rooms.  " " Adjoining rooms, right?  "

"Of course.  I think we can handle that."

He gave her a long look.  "Then all we'll have to worry about is one of us
keeping a door locked."

Chapter 10

qifter registering, Judd unlocked the door to Adrienne's room and flipped on
the lights.  The air conditioner hummed and the room was blessedly cool.

The room was servioeable, with the standard bed, dresser, TV and a
multicolored carpet that looked fairly new.

"Not too bad," Judd noted as he moved to the window and pulled the tan
curtains aside.  "Good."

 "

" WhaYs good?    "

"I can see the apartment complex from here.  I asked the desk clerk
specifically for rooms with windows facing this direction.  That way, I can
keep an eye on Lois's place when we're not actually there."

"Good idea."  Adrienne put her bag on the bed and then walked to the window
and stood beside him.  It was nearly nine o'clock and the cloudy night
blanked out the moon and stars.  "How can you see anything?  IYs almost dark:
' " "I come from a long line of vampires, " Judd deadpanned

Adrienne feigned astonishment.  " " Really.  I can't imagine why I didn't
think of that.  "

"Probably my charm.  We're trying to upgrade our image from fearsome to
fuzzy-warm: '

"And you haven't quite completed the process: '

"Fearsome is fun."  He wiggled his eyebrows.

Adrienne chuckled.  "Somehow, I doubt your mother would appreciate your
ancestral conclusions "

"IYs a secret.  Hunt and I made a pact when we were kids that no one would
ever know: '

Adrienne's gaze, amused and glad for the lighter ntoment , found assurance in
his offhand comments about incidents from his boyhood.  "You're telling me."

"I thought you were good at keeping secrets.  ThaYs what you told Hester."

Adrienne nodded solemnly.  "And the only ones who know about you and your
brother descending from vampires are the two of you: '

"And now you: ' "

"And I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Hope I can trust you on this: ' " "Oh, absolutely.  Cross my heart " She
made an X just to the left of the lacing in her dress.  lacing, Judd recalled
with too much clarity, that less than an hour ago he'd deftly untied, while
at the same time telling himself he was headed for maj or trouble.

Frankly, his reaction to Adrienne puzzled him.  Controlq ling his sexual
needs had never been something he'd thought a lot about.  When he was
married, he'd besn a faithful' husband; to be otherwise, in Judd's opinion,
was neither an option nor a desire.  And after Diana's death, he'd gonlq"..
from months of celibacy to a few weeks of sexual satuq tion.  Those
experienoes had left him empty and annoyeddq with himself.

qq; q qere'd been the night with Adrienne.  one night and it stood there like
a door between who he qqras before he'd slept with her and who'd he'd become
afqqrward

That revelation in itself was enough to terrify him.  No aperience, sexual or
otherwise, should be that definitive, that vivid.  Not repeating it had
become such an obsession for him that he had made absolutely sure he stayed
the hell qway from her.

Well, he had managed not to have sex with her-just qely, if those moments in
the car were any barometer.  But qaying away from her was now impossible.  q
Judd glanced in the direction of Lois's apartment.  The qd floor remained
dark, but did get some reflective light from the street lamps.  He wanted
this case closed and fled-to have the baby home and Lois locked up where she
,qlonged.  But also to give him good reason not to see Adri ,mne anymore.
s,.  , Judd stepped around her without touching her and moved qqo the door.
"Lock this one behind me and unlock the conqIectinq one " Adzienne pursed her
lips.  "I don't know.  Am I going to : safe with a vampire's descendant in
the next room?  You ight swoop through in the dead of aight and bite."  He
raised an eyebrow, his gaze sliding to her throat.  qIlenne immediately
covered the area with her hand.  Giving her a direct look, he took note of
the amused blue 'qzc eyes.  "I left my cape and fangs back in Seapoint."
Adrienne let out a long breath as if she'd been holding it.  Whew, I was
worried there for a minute.  " lie chuckled.  " I,ock the door.  " " Yes,
sir.  " was still grinning when he entered his own room.  like a little
banter to ease the strain.  However, he was even more impressed with how
easily she fell into the silly conversation.  It was as if she were in total
sync with him, a possibility that would be useful in solving this case, but
could also be troubling.  Perhaps because he'd never known a woman who could
adapt to a situation or a conversation without at least one or two missed
signals.

Her quick thinking with Hester had also impressed him and he immediately saw
that as a valid tool for the role of "old friends of lois's" they would be
playing.

Yet, her adaptability was troubling because he didn't want to find things he
liked about her personally.  He'd already let down his guard too often and
afterward had tried to convince himself there were extenuating circumstances.
Kissing her was becoming an adventurous-and dangerous habit

First at his house where his memories of Diana should have been inherently
strong, and yet he had not given a thought to his late wife when Adrienne had
lain sprawled under him on the guest bed.

A few lighter kisses-and then what had happened a mile or so from I,ouiston.
God, she'd felt good straddling him her thighs clenched against his hips.
Her stomach soft against his, the cumbersome clothes tqat only fueled his
memories of what lay beneath.  Her breasts, silky and flushed in his hands.
Her mouth and tongue, the sweet heat of deep mystery.

Judd swore and shoved his hand through his hair.  Forget the excuses.  He'd
stopped the car to do exactly what he'd done.  Kidding himself into the idea
that it had "just happened " was ridiculous.  But why he'd wanted to kiss her
and touch her and make her aware of what was happening bq tween them wasn't
as easily explained.

Or maybe he didn't want to know.  Maybe he didn't want to face himself and
the feelings that spooked him.  And !  maybe he was worrying needlessly.

God knows she'd been more than clear about her feelj ings for him, and they
weren't exactly love and promises.  So what was going on was no doubt
explainable, they had the hots for each other.  Good old garden-variety sex.

Judd opened his duffel bag and pulled out his shaving kit.

Opening it, he realized he'd been so rushed, he hadn't checked to make sure
he had enough of the basic necessities Long ago, he'd established the habit
of keeping a sup ' ply of toiletries in the kit to speed up his packing
process.

That way, he didn't have to worry about forgetting the essentials

Now glancing through the items, he found everything he needed and something
he'd forgotten about.  Besides the ; toothpaste and toothbrush and razor,
there was an unopened box of condoms.  ' He'd bought them two months ago
when, after a long, stressful case he'd concluded, he'd called a woman he
knew ' in Boston and made plans to meet her.  Judd had known just ' what he
wanted.  I.  ots of sex and lots of sleep.  ' He had easily accomplished one
of his objectives, as the unopened condom box attested.

Carla had not been pleased.  "Since all you wanted to do was sleep, why did
you call me?"

Judd had apologized, but had immediately realized a q deeper motive.  He
really hadn't beqn interested in having !  " sex.  Not with Carla or with
anyone.  Carla was exotic and inventive and any man would be a fool to go to
bed with her just to sleep, but he had done just that.  !  Admittedly, Judd
had indulged in some sexual high jinks in his younger years, but whether it
was because he was older, wiser or more cautious, he'd become so selective
that,

as the experienoe with Carla proverl, sex wasn't as much fun as it used to be.

The phone on the bedside table rang, interrupting his thoughts.

Judd answered.  "Yeah."

"Judd Dillon?"

"Yeah.  Who is this?"

"Have some papers with info you need.  I'll meet you in ten minutes at the
convenienoe store on the next block.  Park beside the Dumpster."

"Who are you?"  he demanded, trying to figure out who could possibly know he
was here.

But the caller hung up, leaving Judd staring at the phone: Scowling, he
debated his options.  The idea that some trap had been laid seemed ludicrous.
Sure he was keeping his real reason for being in I.  ouiston secret, but not
because he bq lieved the Greeley woman was involved in some multilayered
conspiracy.  Still, whoever the caller was, he knew Judd's name and where he
was staying.

He crossed to the adjoining doors, knocked lightly and when Adrienne called
out an acknowledgment, he opened it.

She was still dressed, but he noticed she'd unpacked and a sleep shirt lay
across the turned-back bed.  She stood near the dresser and the mirror
reflected her back.  In her hand, she held a bottle of lotion.

"Everything okay?"  she asked.  "You look worried

Quickly, he told her about the phone call.

"I'll go with you: '

"No.  I'll be fine.  Not a lot is going to happen in a public parking area: '

"But you don't know."

 "

" Come on, let's not get carried away with the cloak and dagger stuff.    "

"If I were a real cop, you'd take me..  .  No, correction, you'd want me with
you as backup."

He wasn't about to debate that with her again.  "Probably But you're not, so
you stay here."

"And if I refuse?  "

"Not a good idea to refuse when a cop tells you to do something," he said,
his tone filled with dire warning.  "Then I might have to take extreme
measures."

She wet her lips, and still holding his gaze, she whispered

"What measures?"

Once again, as with the vampire banter, he observed how easily she slipped
into the conversation.  The difference this time was that the mood was sexy
and taut.  Judd absorbed the depth of her eyes, the smoldering tenseness that
slid between them and wrapped around them like an undulating veil.

"What we cops do with beautiful women..  : He let his voice trail of

Her cheeks were flushed and the bottle of lotion hung loosely in her hand,
precariously close to falling.  "I'm not beautiful," she said simply.

Judd blinked at the realization that she was stating what qqy believed.  And
in that instant, he recaqled telling her the night they'd made love that she
was beautiful and she'd confessed that no one had ever said that to her.  -
"qYou're more than beautiful, angel.  You're ravishing and qovocative and
dazzling."  He paused a few seconds.  "Still qvant to know what we cops do
with beautiful women?"  q: She nodded, but only marginally, as if she thought
she qeight be stepping into some sticky web she couldn't es "I'll have to tie
you up with the lacings of your dress, find q of your neckties to gag you,
lay you on the bed and lock the door so there's no possibility you could
follow me and get hurt.  Then when I came back..  "

For a few pulsing moments, the silence thickened between them.

Then in a firm voice, she said, "When you come back, I wouldn't be here."

"Oh?"

"We women are more resourceful than you think.  I'd figure out a way to get
loose."

 "

" Knowing you, I don't doubt it: '

He crossed over to where she stood.

He took the bottle from her hand, unscrewed the top and sniffed.  "Nice."

He turned the bottle and wet his fingertip.  Then he touched, her throat just
where the tiny pulse hammered.  Slowly, he moved his finger in a circular
direction and she caught her breath.  " " You're trying to distract me,
aren't you?  First with the teasing talk and now this," she murmured, the
catch in her voice audible.

With a casual shake of his head, he once again wet his finger with the
lotion.  This time, he put the bottle down on g y , " the dresser.  Watchin
her e es he said, Now, if I wanted to really distract you, I'd unlaoe your
dress and unhook your bra."  His hand worked even as he spoke.

Adrienne swallowed and stood so still, she might have been hypnotized.  With
the lacings loose and the bra open, her cleavage showed, yet her breasts
remained covered.  Judd didn't disturb the loose fabric, but concentrated his
finger on the warm length of skin betweqn her breasts.  When he drew down the
opening, she shivered.  " " Cold?  " " "N-no "

"Hot?"

"You're s-seducing me."

His finger had moved along the inside of one breast, and q at her gasp of
words he stopped.  "On second thought, I should know better than to look for
trouble I don't need " , he muttered.

He started to pull his hand away and she curled her fingers around his wrist.
"Judd, what's going on?"

He uncurled her fingers and moved back toward the adt joining doors.  "I
gotta go."

"You mean trouble between us, don't you?"

"There is no us, dammit."  Immediately, his voice softened'l,ook, this was my
fault.  I came in here.  I touched you: '

"And I didn't object," she said instantly.

"Well, dammit, you should have.  Tell me to stay the hell away from you.
Tell me not to touch you.  Tell me not to want- " He cursed then and stalked
back into his own room.

Putting on his shoulder holster and checking his weapon, he said, "I'm going
to see what those papers are all about: ' He glanced in her direction.  " On
the way back, I'll pick up a pizza and some beer.  "

"All right: Adrienne moved closer to the adjoining doors.  The lacings moved
slightly and she gathered them up and pulled them together, effectively
covering herself.  " Maybe Lois is with the caller.  "

"And she just wants to turn herself in so that the baby can be returned to
the Whitewells."  Cqnicism cut through each word.  " " It's possible.  "

"As likely as my vampire ancestors."  He moved toward the outside door.

"Judd, wait."

She hurried forward, grabbing his arm before he got the door open.  He swung
toward her, his eyes dark and angry.

"A few more minutes, angel, and you're gonna be under me on one of those
beds."

"Or you'll be under me," she retorted so fast, her words stunned him.

"And on that intriguing possibility, I'm leaving."

He stepped outside and closed the door before she could answer him.  In the
car, he started the engine, switched on the headlights and turned toward the
convenience store they'd passed on the way to the motel.

In all honesty, the majority of his fury was easily explainable At himself
for allowing the liberties he'd taken, at Adrienne for being so damn
appealing and even at Lois Greeley for creating the circumstances that had
not only put an innocent child at risk and a family through a nightmare, but
that had also managed to screw up a year's worth of work in staying away from
Adrienne.

She not only distracted him, but it infuriated him that she affected him at
all.  A man who could be celibate for months, then equally bored with sex to
the point where he'd slept through an inventive night with Carla.  .  God, he
shouldn't be so tied in knots over one Adrienne Trudell.

In a flash of realization, he knew why.  It was one of the reasons Adrienne
and Diana had been such close friends.  Adrienne, herself, had briefly
touched on it a few days ago when she'd stated in no uncertain terms that she
was nothing like Diana.

Adrienne was right-one of the best proofs was her going to the diner, then
doing such a convincing act at Opal's and, of course, her standing up to him
in front of Litchfield Diana would have backed away from all three with a
firm shake of her head.

Adrienne didn't have the fragile, almost spun-glass quality that his wife had
possessed in abundance.  Adrienne was more straightforward with her feelings,
her reactions, her emotions and even her words.  She fascinated him because
he was never quite sure how she'd react.

Diana would have been appalled by the vampire conversation Judd recalled his
mother's fury when a playmate's mother had called her and asked if she knew
what her sons were telling their friends.  Secretly, Judd and Hunt had
thought it funny that grown-ups would take two kids so seriously

Odd, he thought now, that he would recall the childish game here with
Adrienne.  Maybe it was a throwback to his own innocence, when such an
obviously ridiculous conversation could be enjoyed simply on face value.
Maybe that was the appeal of Adrienne.  A core of innocence, a willingness to
just go along for the ride and see where it took you.

He grinned in the dark car.  No way in hell would Diana have ever come back
with a "Or you'll be under me" comment However, he wouldn't put that beneath
the heading of innocence.  Nor did he think she'd been teasing or flirting
No, Adrienne had said it to show him she could deal with whatever he threw at
her.  But could heP

Not only did her comeback intrigue him, but imagining it made him a little
dizzy as he pictured himself sprawled across the bed with a naked Adrienne
riding his.  .

Hell.  He shuddered and shifted in the seat.  He slammed on the brakes as he
realized he was halfway past the entrance to the convenience store.

He swung into the lot, ablaze with lights.  Some teenagers with a single
radio blaring were eating from a huge communal bag of chips and swilling down
soda out of cans.

Judd saw the Dumpster and parked, then glanced around at the other cars.  A
man with grizzled hair and a thick neck and dressed in slacks and a checkered
shirt that just covered a sausage layer around his waist ambled toward Judd.
He carried a folder in his hands.  Judd opened his door and climbed out.

"Judd Dillon?"

"You're the one who called."

"Yeah: He clutched the folder as if it were top secret.  " These came by fax
for you.  Litchfield said to get them right to you: '

Judd took the folder and glanced through the pages.  It was information on
Lois Greeley.  "Thanks, this will be helpful."

"If there's anything we can do.  I mean, I know you're handling this, but the
Louiston department is ready to assist if you give the word: '

Judd nodded.  "And you're-"

"Sergeant Sean Payton: '

"Good to meet you," Judd said as the two men shook hands.

Payton nodded.  "I'm off duty right now.  I told the Iieutenant

I would get these to you on my way home.  "

Puzzled by the secrecy approach, he asked, "Why didn't you just bring these
to the motel?  Or at least tell me on the phone who you were."

"I thought this was an undercover surveillance."

"Yeah, it is, but bugged phones and someone's following you or even being
curious isn't likely.  This isn't that kind of operation: ' " "You can never
be too sure, you know: '

Judd was about to say that either police work in Louiston was slow or Payton
was into conspiracy theories, but didn't do either.  "Okay, I'll give you
that: Judd opened his car door.  " Anyway, thanks for the papers.  " He slid
behind the wheel.  " Oh, by the way, where's a place to get good

"Maria's.  It's two blocks down and on the left."

A half hour later, he returned to the motel with the papers , a huge pizza
with six toppings and a six-pack of cold beer.

Once inside his room, he immediately noticed that the adjoining doors were
both open.  That and the empty silence

"Adrienne?"  He walked into her room expecting to find she'd fallen asleep.
Instead, the bathroom door was wide open and her sleep shirt lay in a heap on
the floor as if she might have quickly dropped it.  The bed remained
undisturbed

A sense of foreboding coiled in his belly and he wasn't sure if he was
worried or angry.  Payton's words lingered in his mind.  You can never be too
sure, he'd said.  Was there more to I.  ois's taking the kid than Judd
realized?

He glanoed at the folder of papers.  Payton may have read through them when
they came in.  Maybe he knew something

Judd didn't know.

Judd shook off the idea that the case was larger than they'd thought.  No
way.  Litchfield would have contacted him directly with that kind of
information.  It would require new strategy and definitely more cops.

But dismissing the possibility of a larger case, where in hell was Adrienne?

Surely she hadn't tried to follow him, but since there was no other possible
explanation- No, not possible.  He would have seen her.  Unless.

Judd swore.  Unless she'd been hurt or someone had picked her up or.  .  Or
what?  God, he didn't want to even think about it.

He stalked back into his own room about to call the police , when he saw the
note propped against the phone.

Snatching it, he read out loud.  "I know you'll be worried because I'm not a
cop, but I do know what I'm doing.  You don't need to call the police: Judd
scowled.  How in hell did she know he intended to?  He read on.  " Save me
some pizza and a beer.  Just maybe, we'll be able to celq brate.  "

"Celebrate what?"  Tmmediately, his gaze fell to the box of condoms he'd
tossed onto the dresser.  Had she seen them and assumed he'd come prepared,
just in case?

No, she'd probably be furious that he even assumed she might cooperate.  No
way would her having seen the condom box be any cause for celebration.

He opened a can of beqr and drank while he paced bq tween the two rooms.  He
walked outside periodically and looked for any sign of her.  There was none.

Back in the room, he was about to pop the top on his second can of beer and
call the Louiston police despite what her note said, when he glanced toward
the apartment complex Setting the can down, he stared without blinking for at
least thirty seconds.

"Damn: '

Then he vaulted out of the motel room, running and fighting a growing fear
he'd never had before.  A terror that tore at his gut and drove his steps
faster toward I,ois Greq ley's apartment.

Chapter 11

Adrienne halted a few feet from Lois's apartment door.

Her heart pounded so hard and loud, she did some deep breathing to slow it
down.  She wished Judd were with her, but she hadn't wanted to chance waiting
for him to return and miss what may be a significant opportunity to find
Caleb.

Her concern that his meeting with the anonymous caller might be a trap
dissipated when she thought about it more rationally.  In the first place, he
was an experiencq cop, and knowing his dislike of Louiston, Adrienne guessed
he was more than prepared for any surprises.

And in the second place, her own fear that something might happen to him
didn't make sense, they had practically no personal relationship, a feqble
friendship and what could she have done if she had gone, anyway.  Her
performance at Opal's had made her look less than professional.  She cringed
now, just thinking about her hysteria there and that Judd had had to take her
into his arms to settle her down.

But moments ago, when she'd glanced out her motel window and seen the light
in Lois's apartment, she'd known there was no time to lose.  She'd seen it as
an opportunity to prove she could be the professional she claimed to be.

The problem was, she realized worriedly, now that she was almost in front of
Lois's door, she didn't know what she should do.  In more ways than one, she
fully understood why having a plan worked.  Like it had at Opal's, and when
they'd first arrived in Louiston and spoken to Hester.  Even originally at
the hospital, Judd had spoken with her at some length before they'd gone into
Tanya's room, and certainly his questions had been thought through.  Adrienne
recalled complimenting him later and how testy he got.  Well; if she messed
this up, testy wouldn't even begin to describe his reaction

But there had to be times when a cop didn't know what situation he'd find
himself in.  In those circumstances, he would rely on instinct.

Instantly, she realized exactly why Judd had wanted a fq male officer.  She
would know what to do right now, while Adrienne was standing here in the hall
desperately thinking

Wait a minute, she thought suddenly, catching her breath.  She wasn't some
neophyte, she wasn't just a civilian in need of protection.  She worked for
Child-Aid and was, in fact, an expert at finding lost children.  That's why
she was here and why Chief Litchfield had asked specifically for her.  So was
she relying on her own knowledge and instincts of how Lois would act?  No.
She was in some sort of panic in the hallway.

"It's all your fault, Detective Dillon," she muttered under her breath.
Being with him had not only managed to mess up her astuteness when it came to
her job, but it had sent her emotions into overdrive and chaos.

She crept closer to the door, which she realized wasn't quite closed.  From
inside, she could hear footsteps.  Adrienne listened and concentrated.
Either this was Lois or it was someone else, an obvious conclusion, but one
that brought her up short and made her definitely scared.

If the latter case was true and someone other than Lois was in the apartment,
using the plan she and Judd had worked out-that they were friends who wanted
to visit with Lois-would be perfect.  However, if it was Lois.

Her heart desperately wanted to find Lois and Iittle Caleb and the thought of
botching this up sent new fears through her.

She eased the door open wider.  The light came from the kitchen area and
threw long streaks across a faded carpet.  The smell of old newspapers and
dust made her cover her mouth to prevent herself from sneezing.  A living
room was to the right and clogged with furnishings-dark and heavy with lace
coverings on the arms.  A Tiffany lamp, probably fake, tottered on a spindly
pie crust table.  A couple of plants in need of water sat on a windowsill.

Adrienne took a few more steps.  The bedroom looked as if a hasty departure
had been made.  Clothes thrown aside on a carelessly made bed.  Costume
jewelry spilled on the dressing table.  Against the far wall stood a
brand-new crib.  A mobile hung above it and a blue blanket with teddy bears
and puppies was folded neatly over the railing.

Adrienne found the sight both encouraging and troubqg The new crib and the
acoessories indicated Lois wasn't a qtal monster, but at the same time it
indicated a plan, not a spur of-the-moment action.  And that troubled
Adrienne.  For if the woman had gone to so much trouble to fake a Pqancy and
buy baby equipment, kidnapping Caleb must have been in the plan also.  Or at
least the kidnapping of a baby boy.

A sensation of being watched gripped Adrienne.  With her heart pounding, she
swung toward the hall light.

There stood a hard-looking woman with dull yellow hair that was tied back,
beetled eyebrows and wearing a dress that barely contained her ample bustline.

In the shadows, Adrienne couldn't tell if the face matched the sketch, but
the woman's size was much more generous than what Tanya had described.

"Just who in hell are you, girlie?"

Assertiveness, Adrienne reminded herself.  Peering at the woman, she said
haughtily.  "I might ask you the same question."

" " You might, might you?   " A huge plumber's wrench was in one hand.   "
Miss Uppity sounds like to me.   You one of them whores the cops been tryin'
to run out of here?   " She drew closer.   " "You don't look the type, but
these days a body can never tell."

As she walked a few more steps into the room, she swung the mammoth wrench.
Adrienne tried not to show any panic.  If the woman hit her with it, the blow
would kill her.  Her eyes darted around as she tried to find a way out of the
room, out of the apartment.

She eased to her right.  "Look, I thought you were Lois- "

But the woman waved away the words.  "Never mind that a body has to come up
here in the middle of the night cuz old man Foley in 1B is gripin' 'bout some
leaky pipe drippin ' and stainin' his matchbook collection, but I got to put
up with some whore lookin' for her john."

Adrienne narrowed her eyes.  "I'm not a whore.  I'm a friend of Lois
Greeley's and-"

"Yeah?  You don't look like her type of friend."

Adrienne scowled, recalling that Hester had made a similar comment.  " "
People change, " she snapped.

"And I got work to do: The woman shrugged and turned back toward the kitchen.
" Lois ain't here.  "

"I know that now," Adrienne said briskly, now that she was pretty sure the
woman didn't intend to slug her with the wrench.  "I saw the light and I
thought she might have come back:'

"Well, she didn't, so beat it, huh?"

Now that her fear had subsided, the idea of just leaving without finding out
anything was too disappointing to contemplate Maybe the woman knew something
about the baby.  She ambled back to the kitchen and Adrienne followed

Here, too, everything seemed outdated and faded.  Old appliances, mismatched
dishes, a wall clock shaped like a rooster and a Formica-topped table with
four chairs.  In the center of the table was a bouquet of tiny flowers in a
vase shaped like a baby's cradle.  Lying beside the vase was a blue rattle
like the one she and Judd had found at the hospital, like the one that had
belonged to Travis.

Adrienne's mind raced and she wished she'd looked around more closely in the
bedroom.  If Lois was the thief who had taken the new boro packets from the
maternity floor storage room, then the other items were certainly around also.

Not a chance in a million she would just leave now.  Maybe if she posed a few
pertinent questions, she might get lucky.  Although the woman was hardly the
friendly, forthcoming type, still, Adrienne wanted to see if she could learn
even a scrap of information about Lois.

"You know," she said as if she were just carelessly tossing out information,
"Lois and I haven't seen each other for years."

The woman sat facing the underbelly of the kitchen sink.  An array of cans
and rags had been pushed aside to give access to the pipes.  Adrienne
immediately noticed they weren't the new white PVC pipes that were under her
sink at home.  These pipes were old and looked rusted.  Trying to force the
wrench, the woman grunted loudly.

Her voice strained, she asked, "You still here?"

Adrienne ignored the rudeness and said, "And I understand that she has a new
baby."

"So what else is new?  Everyone's got babies.  Twelveyear olds are havin'
kids," she said in disgust.  "When I was twelve, I didn't even like boys.
Liked horses..  " Her voioe traileq off and Adrienne sensed the woman's love
for horses had been very important to her when she was growing up.  But she
wasn't here to find out about her.

"Has Lois had other babies?"

"Hey, I thought you were her friend.  Don't you know?"

"As I said, I haven't seen Lois in years: '

"Seems mighty strange to me that you wouldn't know if she had kids: She
shrugged as if thinking about why Adrienne wouldn't know took too much
thought.  " Don't know if she had no other kids.  All I want from her is the
rent on time every month.  There's some paper and a pencil over there.  Write
her a note and leave it by the phone with your number.  She don't got many
friends.  Keeps to herself, so she'll probably be callin' you right quick.  "

Adrienne glanced at the cluttered counter and at the bulletin board beside
the phone.  She gave the cork board a cursory glance but then realized
exactly what was on it and looked more closely.  Phone numbers, a calendar, a
menu from a take-out place and an old curled photo of three women.  She felt
as if she'd stumbled upon a gold mine.  The woman working on the water leak
still had her back to Adrienne.

"The note is a good idea," she said as she glanced through the phone numbers,
not having the faintest idea wliich ones were important and which were not.
Most were jot bed down haphazardly, with either just a first name and in some
cases only an initial.  There was a "Call Lucy" on the calendar date of the
day Caleb was taken.  Adrienne quickly jotted down the number that had the
initial L after it.  She also made a mental note to ask Hester.

Then her attention was drawn back to the curled photo.  Adrienne eased the
tack out of the picture, took the photo down and turned it over, but no names
appeared on the back.  It was old and deteriorating, no doubt from constant
esposure to light.  The shot had been taken with an instant camera.  Three
women were at a table at some kind of celebration , but it was the wall with
a grouping of oval-shaped qmed paintings that hung directly behind the women
that looked vaguely familiar.  Enough so that Adrienne knew she'd seen it
before, but she couldn't recall when or where.

She turned the photo more to the light and concentrated.  She mentally
scrolled through the places she'd been reoently , but none brought back
anything that looked like the painting display.

Sq qowled and stared at the women in the picture.  The one in the middle
looked somewhat like the sketch of Lois, but the others she didn't recognize.
"..  .  have to pay the damn water bill on this place, I sure wouldn't be up
here doin' this: '

Maybe Judd would recognize it, but to take it out of the apartment would have
him furious and accusing her of stealing.  She stared at it, trying to
memorize the details.

Adrienne glanced toward where the woman was working' What did you say?  "

"I asked you what you're doin' over there?"

"Just trying to think of all I should tell Lois."  Her mind raced.  What
possible connection could there be between a grouping of paintings that she
knew she'd seen before and I.  ois Greeley?  The hospital?  My God, there
were hundreds of rooms in the hospital and "You ain't takin' stuff off her
bulletin board, are ya?"

"I was just admiring an old picture of Lois: Quickly, she tacked the picture
back up on the board.

"Looks to me like you're bein' some nosy bitch."  The woman got to her feet.
"I don't know who you are, but I betcha you ain't no friend toAnd who are
you?"

Adrienne swung around to find Judd glowering in her direction.  Her immediate
reaction was to call him over to look at the picture, but his obvious fury
forestalled that idea.  Despite the distance, his eyes burned into her.  His
mouth was grim, and for a brief moment Adrienne feared him more than she had
feared the woman with the wrench.

In a low, seething voice, he asked Adrienne, "What in God's name do you think
you're doing?"

The woman, who stood as if Godzilla himself wouldn't intimidate her, held the
wrench in one hand and propped the other hand on her hip as she studied them
curiously.  To Judd, she said, "And who are you?  One of Lois's buddies, too?
Or you the john Miss Uppity here is lookin' for?"

Adrienne sprang forward.  "Judd, darling, I thought I'd left you asleep."

He glared at her momentarily, but then responded as if they'd done a dress
rehearsal of this scene just moments before.  "Sleep?  With you around, baby,
I never get any sleep."

The swagger in his voice, the double meaning in his words, sent her pulse
racing and an unexpected flush to her cheeks.  She ducked her head,
embarrassed by her own reaction

"So you two know each other," the woman said.

"Not as well as I thought," Judd said evenly.  He sauntered over, glanced in
the direction of the bulletin board if he saw the picture, he didn't act as
if he noticed anything familiar about it-and then slung an arm around
Adrienne 's neck as if she were his personal possession.  "We'll be on our
way, Mrs. Grobes.  And I certainly do appreciate your kindness and patienoe."

"Kindness and patience!"  Adrienne began, but Judd squeqr,ed her hard enough
to let her know he didn't want her to say anything.

In a tone that set Adrienne's teeth on edge, he said, "My woman here has been
so eager to see Lois, and when she saw the light in her apartment, she got a
little overanxious."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the woman said, obviously tired and wanting to end the
whole conversation.  She turoed back to the sink.

"I am not your woman," Adrienne whispered cut tingly

"Thank God," he muttered back.

"Then stop manhandling me like I'm some rebellious child: '

"How about if I put cuffs on you like you're a grown-up ttspasser?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake."  Adrienne glowered at him, but the look he returned
raised a cold sweat throughout her body.  Never had she seen him so angry.

As he hustled her out of the apartment, she started to say, "Judd, when I
tell you-"

But he pushed her back against the wall just outside Lois's apartment and
kissed her.  Not in a zillion years could she have called it anything but a
"shut-up" kiss, It took Adrierme 's breath away with its intensity and she
hung supported only by his body and the force of his mouth.  He touched her
everywhere and yet touched her nowhere.  It was the oddest, most disconnecteq
sensation she'd ever had.

Ever since she'd known Judd, she was aware of his reputation as an
always-in-control cop.  Tempers and anger didn't belong on the street and
cops should always show restraint, whether trying to deal with the
law-abiders or even the lawbreakers Yet, in thosq few moments in the
apartment, Judd had been furious, and although she doubted the woman would
have notioed the anger having such deep roots, Adrienne had and had reacted
immediately.

This kiss was like some built-up pressure release for him.  She had no doubt
that when they got back to the motel, he would savagely lecture her on all
the reasons that she shouldn't have done what she'd done.

Perhaps valid from his standpoint, but she didn't intend to wait on him like
some terrified underling.  He'd thrown her off balance by charging in there
with all that "my woman" talk.  Maybe this was the perfect time to make her
own case for rushing off to Lois's.

He lifted his mouth, his breathing heavy.  To Adrienne's astonishment, she
found herself more than ezcited, very close to aroused.  She slid her arms
around him, found his body hot and hl,mming with tension.  She touched her
own mouth to his chin in a wandering brush like stroke.

Immqiately, he froze.  Pulling back from her, he cupped her chin and held it
so she couldn't look away.

"What in hell is going on, Adrienne?"

"Nothing.  I wanted to kiss you back, and, uh, well..  : '

"Well what?"

"I wanted you to know my going into Lois's wasn't wasted and I'm not angry
with you for the way you acted in there."

"The way I acted?"  He blinked and glanced up at the ceiling, closing his
eyes and shaking his head.

"As if I were your property," she snapped.

"Perhaps I should have shown her my gun and badge and ' you could have pulled
out your credentials."

"Don't be sarcastic."

Stepping back from her, he dropped his voice to a low snarl.  "Then don't try
to charm me into making some idiotic apology "

"I'm not!  But you're not being fair or giving me a chance to explain"

"Later."  He took her arm and held it firmly while they made their way down
the dark staircase.

Getting out of the building without encountering Hester wasn't going to
happen.  With Prissy yapping behind her,

Hester peered through a crack in her open door.

Scowling at Adrienne, she said to Judd, "See you found her."

"Yeah.  Thanks, Hester: '

She gave Adrienne a superior sniff.  "If you'd stopped and asked me, I
would've told you it was old lady Grobes up ' there."

Adrienne gave her a tight smile.

Outside, Judd held her arm firmly, despite her efforts to get free.

When she continued to struggle, he reached down and lifted her in his arms
and then unceremoniously heaved her over his shoulder.

For a long fifteen seconds, she simply hung there, so appalled and astonished
that Judd would do such a thing and ; do it in public, that she said nothing.
"Damn you to hell,

Judd Dillon !  "

But he said nothing, walking on as if she weighed no more than a bag of
feathers.  A earful of teenagers drove by and slowed down.  Leaning out the
windows, they hooted and whistled.

"Hey, man, you sure know how to treat them."

"Make her purr, man."

"Here, kitty, kitty."

Judd walked faster and Adrienne pushed her hands against his back with all
the strength she had, but still he wouldn't release her.  "Ibrning into the
motel parking lot, Judd waved and said good evening to the desk clerk who
stared from his office doorway.  Onoe Judd was past him, Adrienne saw the
man's head spring forward at the sight of her flung over Judd's shoulder.
She considered calling out for him to call the police and then grimly
realized that Judd was the police.

Trying to look dignified when she probably resembled a road-kil1 was
impossible.  The man just kept staring, adjusted his glasses and then, as if
still not convinced, he took them off, cleaned them and put them back on
again.

Adrienne closed her eyes in mortification.  " " Everything okay, Mr. Dillon?
" he asked what Adrienne thought had to be the understatement of the year.

"Just fine.  See you tomorrow."

"Sure thing: The desk clerk watched, obviously determined not to get
involved, until Judd had the motel door open and they were onoe again inside.
He walked through the adjoining doors and dropped her onto her bed.  She lay
in a heap like a rag doll.  Her arms ached from pounding on him, trying to
get free.  Her head swirled dizzily and she closed her eyes, dragging in
gulps of air.

Judd snapped, "I'm gonna take a shower and I suggest you do the same.  It
will give us both time to cool off.  Then you're going to explain exactly
what in hell you were doing : '

Her eyes flew open.  Not even an apology for embarrassing her in front of the
desk clerk, not a word about those crude kids and as far as cooling off.  .
Never did she intend to cool off from this.

In a brittle voice as dignified as she could manage lying sprawled on the bed
while he towered over her, she said, " " You are a barbaric, sexist,
horrible, sadistic monster apd if it wasn't for Caleb, I would walk back to
Seapoint right now.  "

"And if I didn't need you for the sake of this longtime friendship with Lois,
I'd send you back with a police escort : '

"I hate you: '

"Good.  And while you're nursing all that energy, try and come up with a
plausible explanation for who in hell gave you the right or permission to go
into Lois's apartment."

"You make it sound as if I broke in: '

"Did you knock and did Grobes invite you in?"

"Well, no."

" " So you walked in: ' " " The door wasn't closed tight.   I just gave it a
little nudge and it swung open.   "

He leaned down, his voice edged with anger.  "And you know what Hester was
going to do if she hadn't recognized you?"

Adrienne glanced away.

"Look at me!"  When she did, he said, "She would have called the cops.  Seems
there's been a lot of prostitution in the neighborhood and the residents are
very suspicious of lone women prowling about: '

"I was not prowling."  She bit out the words her anger taking on a deep
seething quality.

He touched the lacing on her dress.  "I'd hardly call this

I a looking-for clues outfit: '

She slapped his hand away.  "Well, perhaps you'd like to choose my clothes
for me and instruct me on how to be your most obedient servant: '

He straightened and walked toward his own room.  "I'm going to take a shower.
Afterward, we can eat cold piria and drink warm beer and we'll take a look
at some papers I got tonight on lois: '

She sat up and blinked at those last words.  "

" Papers on Lois?   qq

"Yeah.  Just a lot of boring routine kind of stuff that's gotten legally."

She stuck out her tongue at his back as he walked away, peeling off his
clothes as he went.

lqventy minutes later, she emerged from her own bathroom , dressed in her
thigh-length sleep shirt.  Her hair was still damp and she felt only
marginally less angry than before she'd showered.

She halted when she saw Judd sprawled on her bed wearing only a pair of
ragged faded white jeans.  The contrast against his dark hair and tanned skin
made Adrienne stare molqe than she should want to, given the way he'd treated
her.  His hair looked as if he'd combed it with his fingers, the front fell
forward, giving him an approachable appeal that made her fingers itch to push
it back.  He was barefoot, his ankles crossed as he lay against two
bunched-up pillows.

Beside him, the pizza box was open and two pieces were missing.  She noticed
that one beer can was crumpled, too.  A folder of papers lay across the empty
side of the bed.

He glanced up, his eyes absorbing her rather than sliding over her in a
casual manner.  "Pizza's great.  That's a sign of good pizza, you know.  When
you like it cold as well as hot: '

Adrienne just stared at him, unsure what to say or do.  His tone had changed
dramatically and he appeared entirely too relaxed and friendly.  She damned
the rush of sensation that churned through her.

She was still furious at him for his earlier treatment and she wasn't about
to let herself be wooed back by cold pizza, warm beer and an obvious attempt
to get into her good graces.  " " Come here.  "

"" So I can apologize.  "

Immediately, she was suspicious.  "You said earlier you wouldn't."

"I changed my mind: '

"Why?  Because you think you can control me better by being nice."

"No, I treated you exactly the way you accused me of.  And the fact that I
was scared as hell you might have gotten hurt or into a dangerous situation
you couldn't get out of, isn't a good excuse."

Judd scared?  It seemed nearly impossible to believe and in fact too simple
to just accept his apology.  " " You didn't act scared, you acted furious: '

"Yeah, I know."

"Why did you?"  "

" Are you going to come over here?   "

"I don't know."

He offered his hand and she took a tentative step forward , but then stopped.
"Why can't you apologize from there?  "

He sighed.  "Because I want to kiss you, hold you..  : '

"Oh: '

"Nothing you don't want, angel."

She took another step, her mind racing with questions.  Kissing and holding
weren't very professional, but then again the last couple of hours hadn't
been, either.  She also

184 Dillon 's Reckonin knew her heart too well when it came to Judd; kissing
and holding, especially in this charged atmosphere, would g way beyond kisses
and touches.

And then there were her own reactions to him, a sense of falseq hope that she
might mean something to him.  She didn t, and tonight, of all nights, she
didn't want to be re.  minded that anything personal between them meant
nothing to him.  For certain, she didn't want to be left wonderin g g how to
act the next mornin.

She cleared her throat.  " " Does that mean you think I want you to kiss me
or are you saying you'll stop when I say so?  "

Judd slowly swung his legs to the floor and stood.  His jeans rode low and
snugged his body so sexily, pdrienne felt her mouth go dry.  From her
dresser, he pulled one of her neckties.  She watched him drape it around his
neck as he moved closer to her.

"Judd..  " She licked her lips to ease the dryness, When he touched her
throat and then curled his hand around the back of her neck, a distinct
shiver went through her.  " " I want you, Adrienne.  .  I want you more than
I want ' my next breath.  " " Frantically, she tried to get her emotions in
perspqive,

Maybe it s not a good idea, she said weakly, her eyes slqding closed when he
kissed the side of her neck.  His hands coasted up high on her thighs,
beneath the sleep shirt, taking the garment with them.

"IYs the best idea I've had in a year."  He lifted his mouth long enough to
pull the garment up over her head and tosq=: it aside.

Before she could object, he circled the tie around ha:i neck, and holding the
ends he tu ing her mouth in one continuous motion.

Adrienne touched his waist, her fingers brushing the sn q denim, making him
groan and deepen the kiss.

She couldn't get close enough.  Then, as if some pent-up accumulation of
response had been suddenly let loose, she felt those words that had stayed so
carefully hidden bubble to the surface.  How she wanted to say I love you,
how she wanteq to pour out her heart, how she wanted him to know that she
felt as if she d loved hini forever.  She'd carefully concealed them for so
long, she couldn't even be sure if her feel lings and the words connected to
them were true or j y ust a qumped-up fantas.

What was so confusing for Adrienne was where to go with hq emotions.  She
knew he didn t qprocate them.  Oh, that one night had been sensational and
spectacularly fulfilling for her, but in the end it had turned out be a
one-night love.

And as much as she treasured the memory of it, she knew q than to look for
anything more from Judd than what she got.  Sex.

And now this.  .  Maybe it was the same thing for him, but for her, now, it
was as it had been a year ago.  qqg hands slid around her neck and sheqrea ck
and fiddling with the tie.  q he

She took an unsteady breath.  "Just a minute ago, you said..  "

qeqn t te enough the process of knotting the tie and then bqck and g ends
down between her breasts.  He leaned grinned.  Now, this Iqind of
professional look has lots of possibilities Ms. Trudell.  " of his qq an
eyebrow and deliberately touched the front tecnve Dillon."  qd you look too
damn good in these, Deqess we make a perfect match.  uu qV ll1S OeQ.  v

Chapter 12

Judd kissed her neck, her ear and then opened his mouth hungrily over hers.
Her hands slid into his hair, holding him as if he might suddenly change his
mind.  Beside his bed, he lowered her to the floor where the back of her
knees hit the mattress edge.  He yanked the covers back, then laid her down.
Her damp hair clung to her cheeks, her eyes were luminous

"I thought we promised ourselves we wouldn't get involved ," she said, but
with little intent of resisting or even questioning.

"Guess we lied to each other."  Judd's breathing wasn't just erratic.  He
felt as if some inner demon of reckoning was clawing at the marrow in his
bones.

She ran her hand down his jeaned thigh and back up the inside seam.  Softly,
as if it were only a passing observation, she murmured, "At least this time,
I know you won't run out on me in the morning."

He flinched, still far too aware of his behavior that night.  By any
standard, Adrienne should despise him.  She brushed her fist across his flat
stomach and then tucked her fingers behind the closure button on his jeans.
Her knuckles burned into his belly, shooting the fire low.

Sqaring, he muttered, "Keep that up, angel, and I won't be able to walk in
the morning."

She grinned and Judd read the sweep of pleasure in her eyes.

"You'd love that, huh?"  he asked.

"I have to admit, iYs a powerful thought.  The cool, qeartless Detective Judd
Dillon overcome by a woman."

"IYs you in that tie."  Again he smoothed the narrow edges of the silky
material across her breasts.  When she closed her eyes and sucked in her
breath, a new spiral of heat tore through him.

He then gripped her wrist as her fingers wandered lower.  Judd knew he wasn't
just hard, he was in pain.  Not a pleasant state of arousal-too deep and
consuming and one he'd never come close to reaching with any woman but
Adrienne

Diana had been very good in bed, yet he'd always kept himself on an automatic
restraint.  Nothing substantial he could point to or even explain, but a part
of him had always held back, had always been fearful he might shock her.
Some sense that certain things were off-limits, not what a Iady should do or
would want to do.  Not the kinky stuff like whips and chains, but explored
enjoyment rather than emqrassed refusal.  One;e or twice, he'd tried with
Diana, but qhe'd shrank from him as if she suspected he'd been pracqcing the
art of erotic seduction in his spare time.  ' Glancing now at Adrienne, he
felt a keen sense of proqd qed.  Her allowing him to knot the tie, her mouth
qlightly swollen, while knowing he was deliberately turning professionalism
between them as upside down as when he'd tossed her over his shoulder, her
obvious turn-on to his wearing the snug jeans and the wideness of her eyes
when he'd come off that bed, showed him her desire for him was candid and
sincere.

It was an extraordinary revelation to him of what the potential between them
was.  Somehow, she'd become the ideal fantasy.

Wanton and yet not jaded.

Wanting and not afraid to say so.

Willing and yet still a little stunned by her own boldness.

A helluva combination, he concluded, drawing her against him and closing his
eyes.  It was as if something about her reached inside him, seized him and
locked itself on like some long-missing piece.

In a low voice, he said, "Wanting you shouldn't make me feel so desperate."
At her rather curious expression, he added, "As if no matter how much I have,
it won't be enough."

She swallowed, stunned by the thick desire in his voioe.  He started to pull
away, to shed his jeans, when she stopped him.  "No, wait.  I want to look at
you..  : She paused, then in a very low whisper so loaded with meaning, Judd
clenched his teeth.  " Oh, Judd, I want to touch you and kiss you.  "

"No damn wonder I can't forget..  .  no damn wonder " he muttered more to
himself than to Adrienne.

She sat up, scooting to the side of the bed, sitting with her legs apart.
Then she pulled him so that he stood between la thighs, his body lean and
tight as it loomed over her.  His hands slid into her hair and he tipped her
head back.  He bent his head, kissing her once, twice and the third time
taking her mouth deeply.  She flung her arms up and around his neck.

Judd considered all that he had done, was doing this very moment, and where
he was going with every action that involved

Adrienne.  Wanting her and fighting against that want had been an issue, a
drive, an endless internal debate since he'd walked out of her bedroom a year
ago.

If only everything began and ended with sex.  And while he'd concluded that
Adrienne hadn't taken him to her apartment that night with any expectation
beyond experiencing a few pleasurable hours, that had been his initial
reasoning tonight.

Waiting for her to finish her shower, he'd thought about his fierce reaction
when he realized she'd gone to Lois's apartment.  Fear of a botched-up case?
Fear Adrienne might get hurt?  Hell, maybe both.  Maybe even what he
suspected was the real culprit.  Too many tense hours with her, of wanting
her, of just being too damn worn-out by the fight to steer clear of any
personal and sexual involvement.

He'd been aware from the moment she came out of the bathroom and eyed him
with suspicion that his shift in mood had been abrupt.  No longer could he
deny that he wan bed her.  But he also knew Adrienne was too smart to fall
for some seduction scenario.  sides, he despised moves like those.  They were
calculated and usually proved little beyond an ability to turn someone on.
No, he wanted her for a far simpler reason.  Pleasure, yes.  To ease the pain
pounding like a jackhammer in his gut, definitely.  However, beyond those
very obvious ones, his reasons were more selfish.

He wanted to forget hbw terrified he was that she'd gone to I.  ois's
apartment alone.

He wanted to forget how that terror had turned to relief that in turn had
become fury when he saw that she was all right.

He wanted to forget even the remote possibility that something could have
happened to her.  That she had been hurt or kidnapped or even shot had filled
him with a chilling panic.  He'd felt protective, yes, but far beyond a cop
with a civilian, beyond a man with a woman and even beyond a friend with a
friend.

This was more intrinsically linked to some deep core inside him, something
that rose within him and wanted to bind her to him, wrap her in a cocoon of
safety.  Judd didn't understand it, nor had he figured out why he was tossing
away all his hard-won, hands-off approach when it came to Adrienne.  But
there was no question something had definitely shifted inside him.

Carrying her out of the apartment complex like a sack of potatoes had been a
nioe touch, he thought grimly.  He just hoped all the posturing and
positioning had convinoed Hester and anyone else peering out from behind
closed curtains , that he had very definite ideas on "his woman" and what she
was allowed to do and not allowed to do.

Her hands had gotten his jeans opened and the zipper down.  He reached down
behind her and pressed his palm against her back, urging her forward so that
the heart of her rested against his jeaned thigh.  She wrapped her arms
around his waist and rubbed her mouth against his belly, brushing it lower
into the Y of his jeans until he got dirzy with the possibilities.

He groaned.  "You're lethal, angel.  Easy..  : '

Even as she kissed him, she moved the vee of her own body closer against his
thigh, swaying slightly, just a little unsure and managing to send about four
rockets off in his head.  Within a few seconds, her hips picked up a natural
rhythm that needed little encouragement.

"Oh, man..  ."  He held her against him, his back breakqng out in a sweat.
"Yeah, just like that..  ."

She mewed, her breathing catching and stopping for a few seconds.  In a tiny
gasp the words spilled, "I have to stop or..  "

"Don't stop.  Shh, I want you to.  I want to feel it..  .  see it..  : He
moved her body into a quicker, more intense pace against his thigh so that
she trembled and he felt her first ripple of pleasure.

"Oh..  : Her fingers dug into his flesh and he lqew she'd Ieave marks.  He
lifted her higher so that the very heart of her was pressed into him in a
rubbing motion.  " Judd.  " She tried to pull back, but he wouldn't allow her
to give up the sliding rhythm.  " This is wicked-"

"No such thing, angel."  He tugged her tight and felt her body react
automatically.  "You're almost there..  : '

She stiffened again, then her back arched and her eyes q closed.  Standing
above her allowed him to watch her spiral up and then go totally still,
leaving only the flush in her faoe and the tantalizing smile of satisfaction.
As the shudders lessened, she sagged against him, her chin burro ved into
his chest.

He massaged his fingers on the back of her neck, feeling adrench of pleasure
within himself at her release.  He held lxr against him for a few minutes,
his fingers his only motion His own body was so wired, he needed a few
seconds to get a hold on himself,

The neqct thing he felt was her mouth, the warmth of a very wet kiss and a
nip at his skin.

In a muffled voice, she whispered, "You want me," in q a pleasured voice, he
grinned.

"Nah, I never get turned on by a woman doing what you qSt.  did: '

"That happened the last time, remember.  qqYq.  In the car.  Before we even
left the restaurant "

"It was all your fault, you know.  All that suggestive talk about what you
wanted."

 "

" Sex talk: '

"Just the same, afterward, I was very embarrassed."

 "

" You were great then and even better a few minutes ago.    "

She kissed him, once, twice and then tipped her head back to stare up at him.
Judd traced the moisture on her mouth with his finger.

Kissing the pad, she whispered, "We made love four times that night: ' "
"You've got a good memory."

"Yes."

"So let's make a few new ones tonight: '

She studied him, her blue eyes deep and misty.  Slowly, her gaze never
leaving his face, she lowered his zipper the rest of the way.  Then as she
pushed at his jeans, he took both her wrists and pulled them away and settled
them so that her hands were at her sides.

He stepped back, got rid of the jeans and retrieved the box of condoms.

She looked at the box, a tiny grin playing at the corner of her mouth.
"Don't tell me they were giving away free condoms with the pizza?  Or was it
with the beer?"

"If I told you I brought them with me, would it matter ?"

She blinked, the question unexpected and, knowing how fiercely Judd had not
wanted any involvement, a definiteq contradiction.  "If I say it matters,
does that mean we have another fight and don't make love?"

He chuckled.  "Don't credit me with that much willp " g " ower.  In a thou
htful tone, he added, Then again, if it doesn't matter to you why I have
them, I might think you were hoping I would lure you into bed."

She studied him, realizing with some astonishment that she had indeed wanted
him to lure her into bed.  She'd wanted that for a long time, despite all the
reasons that it was not a smart idea.  "Hmm neither of us look good either
way."  'qGood isn't what I want from you: '

She pursed her lips as he settled down beside her and then lifted her so that
she sat astride him.

She sucked in her breath as he slid deep inside of her.  "Why do I have the
feeling your having them has nothing to do with me."  'qJealous?  "

"How could I be jealous?  I have no strings on you," she said breezily.  "We
don't even like each other, remember?"

He peered at her, at the position of their bodies and the fact that he was
sweetly buried inside of her.  " " Just uncontrolled , unbridled lust, huh?  "

"Well, maybe a Iittle more than that.  I do sorta like you..  .  sometimes."
She gathered fistfuls of the hair on his cbest and tugged gently.  "But I
don't like you when you're qreaving me over your shoulder."

"I'll try to keep my barbarism under better control," he qii sagely.  He
cupped her breasts and drew her down so q;et he could kiss each tip.  She
gasped at the tightening :qqqsation and he blew softly across each nipple
before takq ;iqmg-each into his mouth and savoring the texture and the : He
slipped his hands down her sides to her hips.  : She tossed her head back and
took a sharp breath.  q;Juddheld her steady against him, his body swelled
tight qtening to burst inside of her, bringing her up and down.  Up and then
down.  .  qered, her fingers digging into his belly.  Never had such intense
pleasqe, a bounty of sensations pourqqgh from an endless supply of bliss.

Oh, God, if only she could let go of all her reservations about Judd, let go
of her fear that if he knew what she felt for him was more than sexual, he
would totally reject her.  She wished she could take what was offered and not
want more.  Her mother had done that and Adrienne had always been so
critical, so determqned to hold on to some idealistic view of what men and
women should feel with each other.

Sex without love, without commitment seemed so self centered and so reckless,
but in some ways it was certainly safer for the heart.  Perhaps that had been
her mother's choice; maybe she had only wanted to protect her own heart.
Since Adrienne had striven to do the same thing by staying uninvolved with
Judd or any man, she could hardly sit in judgment on her own mother for
choosing a different method.

In a fierce resolve to enjoy and forget the pain that would inevitably follow
once they were home, she tossed her head back and clutched him to her with a
sweet tightness.  Her body arched as onoe again she felt the swelling climb
to satisfaction

Judd hauled her down and rolled her to her back in suclq a smooth motion that
she forgot to breathe.  The walls of ha body closed around his and he groaned
from the slick het of her.  Adrienne gasped as channels of fulfillment opened
inside of her.  Judd buried his mouth in her neck as his bocq exploded in the
mindless pleasure of replete gratification 'q

For many minutes, they lay still.  Judd sprawled on top aq her, Adrienne
clutching at him, her arms feeling heavy, body satiated.  She kissed his
shoulder and he mu something she didn't hear.  She smiled to herself, unabk
stop the torrent of thoughts that raced through her.

Right this moment, she was totally happy.  Content q way she'd never been in
any other facet of her life, w it be work or fun or just a well-deserved lazy
day ofq many ways, it was the same feeling she'd had after that night a year
ago; a sense that being with Judd was where she needed to be, where her heart
yearned to rest, and yet, she qnew he didn't feel or want lofty thoughts and
a tied-down relationship.

Sighing at the new pain that left her feeling suddenly leery and ashen, she
confronted the cruel ness of being with him.

Why, oh why, had she been unable to forget a man who lvanted nothing more
than a night in bed?  And how could fate throw them together so that once
more she would be left q with a shattered heart and an empty place inside of
her?

To her horror, she felt a sheen of tears and damned such a showy reaction.
Tears were for babies and immature fe ' maks who viewed their own wants and
needs about a relationship as the key to happiness ever after.  Some key, she
q.  : quqt wistfully.  All she'd found was how fraudulent hape qSs
was-fleeting, encapsulated in a few moments of very :qeod lovemaking and
then, like the early-morning dew, it qiq gone and soon forgotten.  q Grow up,
she told herself tersely.  Isn't that what her liiqther had always told her?
Don't allow yourself to get

Face life as it is, aot what you wish it could be.  Hapand love are fzauds
dressed up to entice and lure and leave a woman empty and cold.  Such a
cynical philos , Adrienne thought.  Yet she knew her mother believed perhaps
for her, it had been safe and comfortable.  e couldn't envision herself
taking the same apas her mother, but she knew that there would never - - tqer
man in her life that she would love as she loved always wanted to believe in
a perfect, unrestricted veena man and a woman.  Her problem was wan th a man
who didn't want it with her.  She knew he'd

19b Dillon's Reckoning adored Diana and never had he given Adrienne any
reason to believe he was seriously interested in her.

Oh, she knew he tolerated her, maybe even on occasion desired her and just
maybe their sexual attraction was stronger than most, but then what?  A long
string of nightq spent in sexual exhaustion?

She pushed her questions aside and decided that spoiling the hours she did
have would make things doubly painful.  Judd muttered something and eased
himself off of her, Propping himself up beside her, he brushed a strand of
hair from her cheek.

"You okay?"

She was glad for the shadows.  "Sure."

He cupped her cheek and turned her face so he could see her.  Studying her,
he asked, "If I hurt you..  ."

She shook her head fiercely.

He slipped his hand down her body, between her thighs, watching her for any
reaction.  Instead of a wince, she sigbed and curled around him.  Judd felt a
huge roll of contentment at her response.  He lowered his head and kissed
her.  "You really liked it, didn't you?"

"You're very good "

"You were sensational."

She squeezed her eyes closed and before he had a chanoe to say anything, she
flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest.  I love you,
her heart screamcdqr: I love you so much and I don 't know how to make you
lovq me back.

"Itqventy minutes later, they were eating cold pizza going through the papers
Judd had gotten from Litchl He'd already told her about the chief faxing the
file on to the Louiston police.  Adrienne had pulled her sleep on, but hadn't
removed the tie.  Judd wore his jeans, zipped, but unbuttoned.

"Is that beer cold yet?"  she asked.

He'd gotten a bucket of ice from a machine near the motel office and the cans
were now buried in the melting liquid

"Probably."  He pulled one out, felt it and then popped the top, handing it
to her.  " " I read through these papers while you were in the shower
earlier, so let me give you the condensed version.  "

"I have some things to tell you, too."  Her eyes were as eager as her voice.

"LeYs do these first."

Adrienne nodded, sipped the beer and listened.

"From whaYs here-by the way, some of this info came from Child-Aid.  Evelyn
coordinated with Litchfield."

"Proving that we have a valid role in the police department"

"You never had an argument from me on that: '

Adrienne's eyes widened.  "When we first moved our offiaes in there, I heard
you were furious."

"Not at Child-Aid's being there.  At having to see you qvvcry day."

"And you think it was easy for me?"  q:-.  : "It wasn't a personal dislike,
Adrienne.  But getting sexy qvolved- " q-"Yes, I know," she said, thinking of
how involved they'd been.  Even as wonderful as it had been, despite the ,
the teasing, the smoldering looks, what they had meant nothing to him.  "You
would have found it icu lt to maintain that heartless cold demeanor you're
ous for " s safer for all involved.  "

"Sanitized words, Judd.  You made it quite clear what your feelings about me
were and I felt the same way about you "

He studied her a moment, watching the askew necktie, trying to keep at bay
the desire to reach out and drag her across his lap.  "This case has thrown
that resolve all to hell."

"I'm sure we'll have no trouble avoiding each other in the future," she said
stiffly, making herself look at him and not flinch from the new pain that
tore through her.  Keeping her guard up with Judd always seemed to be a
necessary dq fen se The alternative was unending emotional pain.

She shifted, putting her unfinished pizza aside.  Her appetite was gone.  She
should also get off the bed, get some clothes on and start acting like the
professional she was supposed to be.  They were here to find I.  ois Greeley
and get Caleb back safely.  Rolling around in some provocative and carnal
activity would only make being together at the office far more tense and
difficult.

She took a deep breath and tried her best to appear unmoved and unaffected by
all that had happened personally between them.

"Let's get back to Lois," he said gruffly.

His body was tense, his eyes dark and she noticed the hardness of his jaw.
Perhaps it was just as well that he was annoyed.  It would make walking away
much easier for her.  "And Lois is why we're here."

"Yeah."  Without looking at her, he spread the pages out and scanned them for
a few seconds as if searching for relevant information.  Finally, he pulled
out a few of the pages.

" g

Here we o.  I,ois is sin e never married, lateqthirties, does volunteer work
and-" he glanced at Adrienne " -she's had a major problem involving a kid in
the past: ' " " You mean she has a record?  "

Dillon's Reckoning lgg

"She was arrested for taking a kid she was baby-sitting.  Lois had the idea
that she would be a better mother than the kid's own mother.  It seems she'd
had a lot of miscarriages and could never have kids.  According to a
court-ordered, psychiatric test, she felt inadequate and useless.  Having a
child berame an obsession."

"Was this before she took the child she was baby-sitting or afterward?"

"" Sorry, I'm trying to fill you in on the background at the same time.
No, the test was given after she kidnapped the kid.   This is what happened
with that.   Apparently, the parents of this kid worked and were having a
hard time with bills and juggling jobs and family time.   Lois lived in a
nearby apartment and volunteered to baby-sit.   What they didn't know was
that Lois had suffered her fourth miscarriage at about the same time their
kid was born.   Lois convinoed herself that the mother didn't really deserve
her baby beqause the woman worked.   So Lois devised a plan to first gain the
parents' trust, then take the kid and run away.   She planned to be the
mother, and in another town no one would be the wiser.   The boy was about
eight months old and Lois had been taking care of him for about three months
before she actually abducted him: '

"So how did they find her?"

"Real lucky.  The father had forgotten something and came home within an hour
of Lois leaving.  Ordinarily, he would have thought she'd simply taken his
son for a ride in the stroller, but the baby had just gotten over a cold and
they'd told Lois specifically not to take him outdoors.  Then a neighbor saw
Lois with the infant and said she was struck by the fact that Lois was
carrying a stuffed diaper bag.  Fortunately, the father called the cops and
they found L,ois a few hours later."

"Thank God.  I bet the parents were frantic.  "

20d Dillon's Reckoning

Judd stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles.  "q the Whitewells."

"What about why she did it?"  Adrienne asked.  "I mean, Lois's thinking she
could be a better mother might not be so odd on the face of it, but most
women wouldn't go so far as to kidnap another woman's child.  Besides, it
sounds more like the mother and father were stressed-out and overwhelmed
rather than bad parents: ' " " Probably the reason they jumped at Lois's
offer to babysit"

"How long ago was this?"

"About four years ago.  Nothing since.  At least nothing she was arrested
for.  The judge put her on probation and ordered counseling.  A year later,
she moved East."

 "

" East being here in l.    ouiston: '

Judd nodded, a frown creasing his face.  " " And that puq zles me.  Why here?
Why not Kentucky or Arizona or Maine?  Why Rhode Island?  " " "A job offer?
Maybe she lived here onoe before and liked it?  Maybe she wanted to make a
fresh start where no oq knew her?  What about family?  Maybe she has family
here: '

"Lots of questions, but an even bigger one is why Seq point Hospital and why
the Whitewell baby?  It's too spq cific to be just a coincidence."

Adrienne caught her breath.  " " Judd, there was a photo otq the bulletin
board in Lois's kitchen.  It was of Lois and tvrQ other women.  They were
seated at a table as if they were at some celebration.  You know the kind,
where a photogq pher gets a few people together for a group picture.  "

"What are you getting at?"

" " This is all your fault, you know.   If you hadn't acted some Neanderthal
and if we hadn't made love, I might thought of this sooner.   When I saw the
picture, some ' struck me as familiar but I couldn't place it.   When you
shuffling those papers, it came to me.   When they did all the hospital
renovations, the staff dining room was one of the rooms that was remodeled.
IYs been over a year and I'd forgotten what the old one looked like.   "

Judd gave her a direct look.  "What are you tallcing about?"

" " The photo of I.   ois and her two friends.   .   The one I saw at her
apartment.   It was taken in the Seapoint Hospital staff dining rqm before
the remodeling.   The only people that eat in there are hospital staff and
hospital volunteers.   "

Judd scowled and then closed his eyes as if something had falleq into place.
Then he went through the papers again.  "I know I saw something here, " he
muttered.

Adrienne drew closer.  " " Yes, you did say something about ha doing
volunteer work: '

"Here it is.  Adrienne, you are definitely an angel."  He lqed over and
kissed her hard.  "Remind me to apologize for all the grief I gave you for
going into I.ois's apartment.

She never worked at Seapoint as an employee.  ThaYs why q .  a name never
showed up on the Iists Fairfax gave us.  She q.  qras a volunteer.  ThaYs
handled by the hospital auxiliary.  q qaYs where her name would have been.  "
q&fore she could respond, he was off the bed in one fell qvoop and reaching
for the telephone.  He had the receiver qqqhis hand and was punching out the
numbers when he again and dropped it back on its cradle.  " Damn, I t, she's
not home.  " " "q::.=.q qbq qs arm.  " Who's not home?  "

"Hqtt instead of answering her, he onoe again picked up the q er and punched
out an obviously memorized numoo q you qlling?  Judd, it's one in the
morning."  y old man:, blqnked.  " " Your father?  But why?  "

" " Because Mom is on one of her bridge club vacations in Vegas, I think, and
I need to get her number.  "

"Wait a minute.  Back up: '

He slung an arm around Adrienne's neck and kissed her deeply.  While the
phone rang, he said, "Mom heads up the volunteer program for the auxiliary.
She took it over a few years ago.  She would know what happened with Lois: '

"Oh: Everything was suddenly happening so fast, Adrienne felt as if she were
playing catch-up.

"Dad?  Yeah, it's me.  I know what time it is, but I need a number where I
can reach Mom: He waited a few seconds while Bart Dillon swore and grumbled
about people who worked ungodly hours and expected the rest of the world to
work by their timetable.  " Okay, shoot: Judd scribbled down a number.
"Thanks.  I know the manager there, so this may be easier than I thought.
Oh, and before I let you go back to sleep, have you heard from Hunt?  Last
time we talked, he didn't sound so good."  He listened a few seconds ,
obviously disturbed.  "Nothing, huh?  Look, when I get done with this case..
.  Yeah, I know, he doesn't want us worrying about him..  "

Adrienne touched Judd's back and felt a wall of tightness She really didn't
know enough about the Dillons to be asking a lot of questions, but anyone
watching the range of reaction in Judd whenever he talked about his older
brother would notice his distress and concern.

Judd tightened his hold on her as if she might pull away.  To his father, he
said, "Someone called you about buying my house?  You know it's not for sale.
Tell them-" He cut off his words.  "Look, I've already got too much to think
about.  I'll call you when I'm back in Seapoint.  And Dad sorry about waking
you, but thanks for the number."  He got the dial tone again and punched out
the long-distance number.

After working his way through a number of the casino workers, he got the
manager's offioe.  After a few pleasantries were exchanged, Judd told him who
he wanted and that it was an emergency.  He left the number and the manager
promised to locate Judd's mother, but said it might take a while.  Judd
thanked him and dropped the receiver onto the cradle.

Then he lifted Adrienne in his arms and swung her around in a wide circle.
"I.et's go to bed."

"What?"  Incredulous at all these sudden mood shifts, she was beginning to
wonder if Judd did this to throw her off guard or if it was his way of not
having to think too hard about what he was doing.

"Mom's in Vegas doin' the slots.  By the time Rocky finds her and she calls
me back, at least an hour will have passed: ' " "So you want to have sex
while we wait?  " " " Better than cold pizza: '

"Judd Dillon, I-"

But he covered her mouth with his and slid his hands under her sleep shirt,
finding her warmth and a moisture that made him grin.

He lifted his mouth so that their lips were barely touching' Tell me no," he
whispered, while his hand stroked her inner thighs.  " What I'm feeling is
sure sayin' yes: '

Refusing to just sink into the incredible pleasure his hand was creating, she
said, "You're a bastard: '

"And horny, like you: '

She made a weak attempt to get free.  "Forget the sex talk, Detective Dillon.
This time-" He leaned down and whispered what he wanted to give her in very
specific and very erotic words.  Adrienne closed her eyes and her earlier
objections collapsed.

He chuckled as he drqw her against him.

"I fully intend to start hating you again when I get back to Seapoint."

"Hmm..  " He nuzzled her neck.  "Right now, you can i want me, angel, the way
I want you: '

On the bed, he dispensed with his jeans and not until he was deep inside of
her and her legs were wrapped around his hips and her pleasure mounting, did
she remember that the condoms were in the other room.  '

Her good sense was falling under the rising tide of sensation between their
bodies.  She should stop him.  She should push him away.  But instead, she
pulled him deeper and his groan of satisfaction when he climaxed filled her
ears and her heart.  q Chapter 13

Costume jewelry on Lois's dresser?  So what?  "

"Don't you remember she wore that garish ring?"

"Oh, yeah," he said flatly.  "Tanya mentioned it was the color of blood."

"I know her owning costume jewelry doesn't mean anything by itself, but iYs
one more reason to support our belief that Lois Greeley is the woman we want:
Adrienne studied him, he was a bit rumpled, a little grumpy and despite the
pleasure they'd shared just hours ago, she guessed he didn't like revealing
any need for her.  " I'm surprised you didn't remember Tanya's comment
immediately.  I recall you were rather stunned by it at the hospital: '

"My memory lapse is probably because I don't do sex on most investigations."

"Gee, does this mean I might have distracted you, Detective

"Ms.  Trudell, you've been a helluva lot more than a mere distraction ."

She clasped her hand to her heart and pretended to swoon.  "Oh, my, a real
honest-to-goodness compliment.  I may never be the same."

He scowled.  "Try and enjoy yourself."

She made herself not laugh, but she couldn't suppress the grin.  It wasn't
that she wanted to make light of his obvious irritation with her and with
himself-then again, she realized suddenly, maybe she did want to be frivolous.

Maybe blitheness was the best way to handle her feelings , the best way to
keep them from spilling into tears and distress.  Being upbeat and
unconcerned was a shield against showing her true emotions.  And it was
certainly a lot safer for her heart.

Leaning forward and giving him her most sincere look, she said, "I'm sorry.
I'll be good.  I promise."

It was close to nine in the morning and they'd gone to breakfast at the small
restaurant attached to the motel.  The food wasn't bad, although Adrienne had
to admit it didn't come close to Macko's Diner either in quality or generous
servings.

They'd made love again after Judd talked to his mother and learned that yes,
Lois had been a volunteer at Seapoint Hospital and that she'd been dismissed
when Corrine Dillon had learned Lois had stolen items from the maternity
inventory room-namely, the newborn packets.

She hadn't reported Lois because the woman was so distraught and ashamed that
Corrine thought that getting caught and then dismissed had been enough of a
punisb , ment.  Privately, his mother admitted, she d also feared a theft
would give the spotless volunteer program a stain they wouldn't be able to
escape.

Judd, to Fqdrqenne's surprise, hadn't been overly upset that his mother
hadn't reported the theft.  When Adrienne questioned his stoic reaction, he
simply said his mother had always practiced the sometimes sticky approach of
offering a second chance to someone who showed genuine remorse.

Now Judd pushed aside his partially eaten plate of bacon and scrambled eggs
and refilled their coffee mugs from the pot that had been put on the table.
He'd been annoyingly , silent about what he'd planned as his next move in
locating ' Lois.  She had noted a particular preoccupation with Lois's
apartment building across the way as if he was expecting something to happen
imminently.  ' In fact, he'd even chosen their seats for breakfast so that he
could watch the building for any movement.  She couldn't help wondering if he
had a hunch he wasn't ready to verbalize or if he was just making sure
nothing in his observation of the building was overlooked.

In an almost too-casual tone, he said, "You know, if

Mom had been in Seapoint when Lois kidnapped the , Whitewell baby, you and I
wouldn't be here.  "

Obvious in his comment was that they wouldn't have made love or faced any
temptation with each other.

Adrienne said, "You mean, she would have seen the ; sketch and called you: '
" "Yeah."

Both were quiet for a few moments, as if considering how ' Corrine Dillon's
vacation and consequently her absence !  from any of the local news might
forever have altered many lives.  Certainly those directly connected to the
case-the

Whitewells and their baby, Lois Greeley, if, God forbid, her plan succeeded.

But Adrienne also recognizerl the effect on her and Judd.

They'd gone from each barely acknowledging that the other existed less than a
week ago to a profound intimacy that made Adrienne flush at the memories of
her own boldness.

Without realizing it, Adrienne shifted slightly in her seat.

Judd stared at her.  "Sore?"

"A little."  She met his gaze.

But he didn't apologize, and what struck Adrienne suddenly was that he didn't
have to.  She saw the pain in his eyes, but what she didn't know was whether
he truly regretted that they'd made love or just that they'd done it too
much.  Maybe both, but she lacked either the courage or the desire to ask.

She wanted to treasure those moments and the fantasy that surrounded them for
a little while longer.  Reality would return soon enough.  At least this time
she was prepared for the emptiness and loneliness.

This time she would handle it better.

This time she was fully aware of Judd's next move and wouldn't be blinded by
idealistic hopes of a relationship.

This time she was reconciled to no future with him.

He glanced out the window, narrowing his eyes, then glanced back at her, the
silence soughing between them.  "Okay, so what do we have so far?  I,ois was
a volunteer at Seapoint Hospital as recently as a year ago.  She closely rq
sembles the police sketch of the woman who took Caleb.  She can't have kids,
so we know the pregnancy was a fake."

" " Iqhat in itself makes her a strong suspect.   Why would a woman fake a
pregnancy unless she'd planned to do this?   "

"Definitely premeditated," Judd commented.  "We know she likes costume
jewelry and that she's a thief.  I saw the crib in the bedroom when I came
looking for you and there was a blue rattle on the kitchen table, just like
the one in the newborn packets."

Adrienne grinned, more than pleased with what they'd both learned.  "We
really have a lot of pieces, don't we?"

"Still, the key is missing.  Why did she take this particular baby at this
particular time.  So far, as we've learned, and from the questioning of the
Whitewells, there isn't a direct connection."

"Lois is obviously not stable.  Maybe her reason doesn't fit into an obvious
pattern."

Judd's eyes darkened.  "Go on "

"Well, doing specialized work with Child-Aid has shown me that quite often
the motives for someone's taking children without permission aren't always
plausible or reasonable to the objective observer.  I worked on a case where
a father kidnapped his daughter and left his son behind.  We puzzled over
that because the mother said that he'd never shown partiality."

"Until the abduction: ' " "Yes, later we learned that he took his daughter
because he wanted a say in the boys she dated when she grew up.  Apparently,
the father had a sister who had gotten into all kinds of trouble when she was
a kid.  He said it was because his sister had had no father to prevent her
from dating losers"

"That seems a little simplistic.  In fact, you're a good example of just the
opposite."

"Me?"  "

" You grew up without a father- "

"But, in my case, my mother..  ."  Her voice trailed off and she stared at
the table.  Clearing her throat, she added, "I was going to say that she set
a bad example, but now I think she handled her life as best she could."

Judd was silent.  He turned his mug around and around as if contemplating how
much to say.  "I've always thought you were too tough on your mother."

"I have been tough and I can't say that I approve of how , y she s handled
her relationships, but, she is the on!  mother I have.  Hearing you on the
phone with your mom, it sort of made me envious."

He nodded.  "Yeah, sometimes you have to consider the pluses.  For example,
did she leave a string of kids behind by all these men?"

 "

" No.    I'm her only child: '

"And did she flaunt her segual habits in front of you?"

She shook her head.

"And hasn't she always been supportive of you whenever you made a decision?"

Adrienne nodded slowly, feeling increasingly sheepish.  "You make it sound as
if I've always been wrong to be critical of her."

"Maybe you should just be less critical.  Parents make mistakes and having
their kids hold it over their heads as if proclaiming themselves judge and
jury only severs the relationship Most parents aren't perfect, but if they
love their kids, despite all the flaws, they should be spared all the
moralizing and second-guessing."

He paused a moment and Adrienne swallowed hard.  She didn't disagree with
what he said and in fact, she more than conceded he was right.  As if his
words had given her some new insight, she made a vow to call her mother when
she got home and get some things settled.  And she wanted to offer an apology
for being such a critic and judge.  Her attitude certainly hadn't helped
their relationship, it had made it more stressful.

But what else was going on with Judd?  she wondered.  He was rarely this
talkative and the obvious deeply felt passion in his voice made her wonder
who was talking, the cop who'd seen too much disaster or the father who had
lost his own son and no longer had the highs and lows of child raising

Watching him and not missing that he was no longer rq laxed, she said,
"You're not just talking about me, are you?  "

Sighing, he shook his head.  "Don't ask me why I'm telling you this, because
I don't know why."

"How about because we're friends?"  ; "Yeah, maybe.  I sure in hell hope
that's all it is."  ; Adrienne frowned at the odd comment, but wisely said
nothing.

After drawing a long breath as if it took a lot of courage to do so, Judd
said, "I have another brother besides Hunt.

His name is Crew Sabin.  " I Adrienne recalled his saying something about a
younger , brother a few days ago and she'd been puzzled and curious.  i " I
didn't know.  "

"No one does.  A woman my father had an affair with about thirty years ago
had his kid.  Dad never told anyone, but he sent money to the woman and made
sure the kid was ; taken care of.  The woman died a few years ago and the old
; man's bastard son paid Dad a visit."

Adrienne stared in astonishment.  Bart Dillon owned Di1 !  lon Construction,
a very successful business that employed a lot of Seapoint residents.  Judd's
father had beqn a model for anyone who started out with little money but a
lot of ambition and the drive to succeed.  Despite his wealth, Bart ; had
never lost his gruffness or acquired a totally nomnacho ' approach to women.
Adrienne found it plausible that he'd , been involved with another woman,
while at the same time she knew he was a devoted husband to Corrine and good
father to his boys.  She wasn't sure just how his having an affair and being
a family man blended, but with Bart Dillon they did.

To Judd, she asked, "Was it blackmail?"

"Hell, that would have beqn easy.  No, just the opposite.  j Instead of
wanting money, he wants no part of it.  Crew flung a huge sum at Dad.  About
a quarter of what Dad had been sending to support Crew and his mother.  Then
Crew swore he'd pay back the rest if it killed him.  Dad tried to reason with
him, but Crew wanted nothing to do with him.  I walked into Dad's office at
about the time Crew was leaving I really felt sorry for Dad, but Crew was a
sight to see.  Hard and angry and bitter.  From what Dad told me later about
Crew's mother, I think she would have been devastated at Crew's actions: '

Adrienne reached across the table and folded her fingers around Judd's wrist.
"I'm surprised you told me all this: '

He starerl down at her hand as if he, too, was surprised by his candor.
"Yeah, me, too: '

"Does your mother know?"

"I don't know.  She's never given any indication she does, but then, she'd be
more inclined to find a way to give Dad the benefit of the doubt: '

"The second chance, as she gave I,ois?"

"Yeah."

"How do you and Hunt feel about Crew?"

"Hunt has never met him, but I like the kid.  He's hotheaded and sometimes
seqmingly without conscience when it comes to taking on anything that will
earn him big money.  He's obsessed with paying back every dime to Dad: ' " "I
assume from the way you told me all this that you and Hunt aren't resentful
of your dad for his having been involved with another woman."

Judd shrugged.  "It was a long time ago.  The really odd thing is that I
think Dad would like to acknowledge Crew, but Crew is so bitter and resentful
that the likelihood of that happening is remote."

Adrienne sat back and gave him a quinical look.  " " Is your intent to
compare Crew's anger at your father with my feelings toward my mother?  ""
"No, but I guess I see similarities.  Parental ties are strong and evoke
strong emotions.  I know how I felt when I lost my family.  And I saw that
terror in both Tanya and Ronnie over their missing son: '

Judd's sudden candor was too curious to ignore.  He rarely talked about
himself and was usually so focused on his work that this side trip about
another brother was more than just a chance conversation.

She had also noticed his too-often glances in the direction of I,ois's
apartment.  Something was definitely going on.  "

Then in a nonchalant voice, she commented, You know, I feel as if I'm in some
role reversal with you.  You're the one who is so careful about never
revealing yourself.  The cop with no heart.  Now, here you are using your own
awkward family situation to make a point about me becoming more tolerant of
my own mother.  "

"At least you owe her the benefit of the doubt.  No one says you have to
approve of or even like her lifqstyle and her choices, but getting beyond
that to accepting her for who she is rather than what she's done would bind
rather than sever your relationship.  And in a curious way, your mother and
all her boyfriends had a positive effect on you.  Diana told me that when you
two were in college, you were so careful about who you went out with that a
lot of the guys felt as if they had to meet some impossible standard: '

She nodded, recalling how her friends had teased her.  "I was just very
careful.  Even after graduation and after I started with Child-Aid, I
couldn't just shun the cautiousness By that time, it was probably entrenched."

"Which makes me very curious," he admitted.  "Cqrious as to why you weren't
cautious that night in the restaurant with me."

"I guess because I knew and trusted you: ' "

" Sounds a little flimsy."

"It was a year ago," she said firmly as if knowledge and trust could be
bracketed in time slots.  "Besides, it was probably the result of a lot of
sexual chemistry, the close dancing, the drinks we had.  All those things can
destroy inhibitions"

"Hmm, pnd what about a few hours ago?"

She stiffened.  "I haven't asked you a lot of questions about why you wanted
me.  I certainly don't intend to explain my, uh, feel-my actions with you: '

Judd watched her intensely and she held his gaze for long straining moments.
The clatter in the restaurant faded away.  The morning traffic crawled by as
the street leading out of town filled with cars headed to the South County
beaches.

"I think we've gotten away from the real issue."

"Or was that your intent?  Keep us here talking about anything, even personal
stuff, while you wait to make your next move?"  She glared at him, not at all
sure she wasn't being used.  " " You're generally not so open about yourself,
Judd, so please don't insult my intelligence by saying you've suddenly turoed
over a new leaf.  "

He closed his eyes for a moment.  "All right, I admit I was stalling for
time."

"And keeping me in the dark as to why?  Damn you!"  She slid from the booth
and stood.  Disappointment overwhelmed her.  She'd thought their relationship
had progressed and it hadn't.  "Nothing has changed as far as our working
together, has it?  You still view me as out of my element and nothing I do
will change that opinion."

In a clipped voice, he snapped, "There's plenty of time later to chew me out:
'

"There isn't enough time in a millennium to chew you out, Detective Dillon: '

"Yeah," he muttered.  "Probably not."  But if she was looking for any warmth
in his voioe, or softness in his face,

she didn't find it.  "

" Lois and our next move.   Can we get back to that?   "

"After you answer one question.  Why do you keep staring at L,ois's
apartment?"

He shoved a hand through his hair.  "Hester went out earlier while you were
getting dressed.  I wanted to make sure I saw her come back.  The restaurant
gives the most unobtrusive view of the building, besides the motel room.  For
reasons we both know, the restaurant is safer for us "

Adrienne couldn't argue with that.  "Why didn't you just tell me that?  "

"Because it's important that we appear casual.  And after last night, we've
raised enough questions.  We're going to have to move today.  If it's not
already too late."

Adrienne sat back down and gave him a stricken look.  "Then you think beqq I
went to Lois's apartment, I could have botched up this whole thing?"

"I think the suspicion level about us shot up at least fifty degrees.  This
neighborhood views any outsider as an intruder - " q "Oh, God: '

"Don't fall apart on me now: Judd reached for her hand, but she pulled away.

"You blame me, don't you?  If Lois has gone into hiding and we don't find
Caleb, your hesitation at having to work with someone who isn't a cop will be
proven correct."  She made herself face that, but on the other hand, she
wasn't doing this to prove anything about herself.  She was here to find
Caleb and if her pride or her self-image was wounded in the process, she
would survive that.

To launch into some discussion of her qualifications, coupled with anger at
Judd because he didn't immediately embrace them, wasn't very professional.

"Adrienne, I'm not blaming you.  In fact, your visit to Lois's place got us
some vital information.  But you're also antsy and I was afraid if I told you
we were going to just sit here and do nothing until Hester returned, you'd
get so eager and jumpy-"

"That I'd blow it."

Judd didn't argue with her assessment.  "The motel owner seems very curious
about our relationship and since he's also right over there, I thought a
rather dull and mundane breakfast would better suit our needs."  He leaned
back and studied her.  " " As to Lois and our next move.  .  You said
something that stuck in my mind: ' " " What?  "

"That Lois faked the pregnancy because she had planned this.  And since a
pregnancy doesn't last just a few months, she would have had to plan for some
time."

"You think there's significance to the fact that she stole a baby born in the
Seapoint Hospital in August?"

"It would certainly provide some clues to a plausible motive."  Judd took a
last sip of his coffee.  "Oh, and while you were in the shower this morning,
I tried that number you wrote down from Lois's calendar."

"

" No answer and no answering machine.   "

"Oh.  So what's next?"

He glanced out the window for what must have been the twentieth time.  "She
just came home.  So we go and shake Hester down."

"She wasn't all that interested in talking yesterday."

"She's our best hope, and I have a feeling she knows where Lois is."

"But why wouldn't she tell us?  She doesn't know we're who we really are."

"She's suspicious of you," he said blandly.

"Me?"

"You finished eating?"

"Yes.  She's suspicious of me because of last night?  She said something to
you, didn't she?"

Judd slid out of the booth and dumped some bills plus a generous tip on the
table.  He guided Adrienne out the door, his hand on the small of her back.

The hot August morning enveloped them.  Adrienne had worn a white eyelet
dress with cap sleeves and a scoop neckline.  A red belt cinched her waist.
It was too warm for nylons and heels so she'd opted for white sandals.  Judd
wore jeans and a dark lightweight sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up.
When she'd questioned him earlier about the shirt, he'd told her it was
easier to hide a weapon with a loose-fitting shirt.

She squinted into the sun.  "You didn't answer my question"

He peered off toward Lois's apartment.  "The answer is yes, I'd love to take
you back to the motel and let you kiss all the scratches you left on my back."

She crossed her arms.  "Shall I tell you about the marks you left on me?"

 "

" Where?    "

She gave him a mercurial look, but truthfully she treasured each love bite,
as well as the slight soreness from their intimacy.  However, not about to
give him any satisfaction, she stated emphatically, "You know damn well where
they are."

He grinned and took her arm as they crossed the street and headed toward
Hester's.

As they drew closer to the run-down building, Adrienne asked, "So what did
she say to you?"

"She thinks you're a cop "

Astonished, Adrienne stopped and stared at him.  "You're kidding.  Did she
say that outright?"

"Hardly, but your going into Lois's last night had her in quite a state when
I got there.  She was on the phone when I arrived.  A call, I might add, that
she hastily concluded when she saw me there.  She was so rattled, she forgot
to hold on to that floor-mop mutt of hers.  The animal practically attacked
me."

Adrienne grinned as they continued to walk toward the building.  "Prissy
probably thought you were an intruder: '

"Yeah, sure.  The mutt hates men."

"I'll go in first, Detective Dillon, and make sure the dog doesn't hurt you,"
Adrienne said in her most serious and sober voice.  " " Very funny.  " But be
stopped her before she opened the door.  " We're going to have to admit to
something beyond the ploy of old friends looking for Lois.  I have a hunch
about that number you found on Lois's calendar.  If you can keep Hester busy.
.  " " "Doing what?  "

"I don't know.  Make something up.  You're into plants and she's got enough
in there to supply a funeral: '

"Is this like the deal at Opal's?"

"Yeah, but a helluva lot more is riding on it: '

Moments later, a polyester-robed Hester cracked open la door.  She blinked
when she saw Judd and Adrienne.  "Yeah?  What do you want now?"

"Hester," Adrienne said in her most contrite voice, "we have to talk to you: '

"I ain't got nothin' to say."  At her feet, Prissy yipped and strained to get
through Hester's legs.  The woman tried to close the door and Adrienne burst
into tears.

Judd said, "Come on, sweetheart, maybe Hester can't help us: ' ' q But she's
Lois's friend, so she has to know where she is " he turned her stricken gaze
to Hester.  " " Please, you have to bZlp us: '

Hester looked from one to the other.  "Who are you, anyway?  And don't give
me none of that bull 'bout bein' old friends lookin' to renew some moldy
friendship: '

"Can we come in?"

qVith one arm firmly around Adrienne, Judd said in a low voioe, "Hester, Lois
doesn't want anyone to know who she q is and for the past year we've honored
that wish, but np v she's gone too far."

Hester's eyes widened.  Adrienne decided it had to be the woman's curiosity
and the intriguing depth in Judd's tone of voice, for she eased the door
open.  She swooped Prissy qtp and tucked the dog into the folds of her robe.
q'Okay, you got a few minutes, but leave the door open.  qfl gotta yell for
old lady Grobes, I wanna be heard.  "

Adrienne went in first.  The room was large and filled with ts, just as Judd
had said.  Live ones and barely alive __.  There were large leafy ones in
pot-bound planters.  violets that sagged, a Boston fern with as many spokes
as green ones and sitting on the table beside ", qhone was a drooping
foxtail, its long pink fuzzy ' flowers spindly at best.  Its leaves hung
Iimp, a sure q it needed water.  fog tail wasn't common and for that reason
AdriqIecided she might use it to distract Hester while Judd ~lqatever he
wanted to do.  Which, she reminded herq hadn't given her much clue about.
Just as he hadn't qqq or with Keith at Macko's, and at Opal's and on.
Sighing, she concluded he might be right.  Her hysterics at Opal's and her
fury last night had certainly shown she had an over reactive nature.  Well,
she intended to prove now she could do her job and let him do his.

Judd followed her in, urging Adrienne forward while he eased his way closer
to the telephone.

Hester frowned, her entire face folding like an old accordion' So What's this
that Lois went too far doin': '

Adrienne walked closer to Hester and whispered, "She steals things.  It's
really very sad and unfortunately a compulsion , but we've been her victims.
And I see you have, too."

"Huh?"

Adrienne threw a sympathetic look at the wilting foxtail.  "Why, I know you
have.  I saw a foxtail in her apartment and everyone knows that a real plant
expert buys them in pairs.  And from the looks of this apartment and the
variety of greenery in it, I would say you're a lover of plants: '

Hester seemed to relax.  " " Well, yeah, I do like 'em.  Makes it seem pretty
in here, like I was livin' in the country instead of in this cramped
apartment.  "

Adrienne cast a glance in Judd's direction.  He was bq hind Hester and gave
Adrienne a wink of approval at the direction she was taking the conversation
with the woman.  Adrienne suddenly felt good, too pleased, in fact, by his
obvious admiration.  Just remember, she told herself, the most important
thing about later is seeing Caleb back with the Whitewells.  You and Judd
aren't going anywhere but your separate ways.

Hester peered at Adrienne who had picked up the dying foxtail and was walking
toward the kitchen.  "Hey, what are you doin'?"

"Giving this poor depressed thing a drink: ' "

"Depressed?"   '

; "Because its mate is gone."  She swung on Hester.  ' "Surely, you've
noticed how upset this poor plant is: Bq yond Hester, Judd worked quickly
near the telephone, going through what appeared to be an address book.  "

Hester nodded sadly.  LTh, well, sure, but I had no idea that Lois-she steals
things, you say?  " ' " Yes.  Have you noticed any of your things missing?  "
i Hester scowled.  " Now that you mention it, I had a gold brooch.  Belonged
to my Aunt Ida Mae.  Maybe Lois took it?  " " " It's very possible, "
Adrienne said gravely.  " " Is that why you were up in her apartment?
Lookin' for evidence?  "

"Exactly.  I should have stopped and warned you, Hester I do apologize, but I
was afraid Prissy would bark and well, you know, alert Mrs. Grobes."

"She's notin on this, is she?  I mean you haven't said anything to her.
She's a blabbermouth."  ; "No, we've only told you, Hester.  We lqow you can
keep a secret.  Just as you've done with Lois.  Keeping all her socrets : '

"You a cop?"

"Absolutely not.  Like I said earlier, I'm one of Lois's victims, too.  Just
like you.  I want back what she took from me."

"Yeah?  And what'd she take?"

"My little boy, Hester.  Lois took my little boy."

"Oh, my God: Hester leaned against the cluttered counter, allowing Prissy to
slip from her hands.  Her face was as pale as white bread.

Adrienne helped the woman into a chair.  Hester's eyes rolled back, and
before Adrienne could get a cold compress of wet paper towels, Hester had
fainted.  i Judd came into the kitchen.  "What in hell happened?"

Quickly, Adrienne explained what she'd said.

Judd shook his head derisively.  "I have to admit, Ms. Trudell, working with
you is an experience I won't forget."

Adrienne ignored his comment and lightly slapped Hester 's cheeks.  "Hester,
can you hear me?"  A few seconds later, the woman's eyes fluttered open.
Judd helped keep her steady in the chair while Adrienne got her some water.

"What happened?"  she asked, blinking and rubbing her eyes.  " " You fainted.
"

"Balderdash!  I never faint."

"Where's Lois, Hester?"  Judd asked.  "I found a telephone number for her
sister, but no address.  You called her and told her we were looking for her,
didn't you?"

"Yeah, I called her.  Lois said she don't have any long-lost friends."

"Where is she?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because if you don't, I'll see that you're charged with being an accessory
to lad napping after the fact: ' " "You are the cops: '

"Just me.  Now, you're going to be a good citizen and for once in your life
do the right thing."

"I didn't know nothin' 'bout her takin' no kid.  I thought she was hatchin'
her own."

"Sure," Judd said impatiently.  "Give me an address."

Hester looked from Judd to Adrienne and even at Prissy who sat a good
distance from Judd and seemed to be studying the entire scene.

"Am I gonna get any reward for talkin'?"  Hester asked, a definite gleam in
her eyes.

"Try doing something once in your life, Hester, because it's the right thing
to do."

 "

" Ain't no profit in that.    "

" " But in your case, I might just put in a good word for you and keep you
from doing about five years in prison: '

"Prison!  Hell, I ain't goin' to no prison," she yelped and lifted her chin
belligerently.  "She's out at her sister's, pretendin ' she's mama of the
week.  Old Situate Road, about fifteen miles west of Louiston.  Lucy lives
with her boyfriend You can't miss the place.  Her mailbox looks like a cow."

Judd took Adrienne's arm and within five minutes they were in the car and
headed out of Louiston.  Judd pushed the speed to sixty and then to seventy.

Adrienne simply held on.  "You're afraid she'll warn Lois: '

"I know she will.  The Hesters of the world never want to cooperate with the
cops."

 "

" But with the threat of prison.    : '

He shook his head.  "She knows iYs only a threat.  The worst she'll get is
probation: ' " "But if she warns Lois, then Lois will run- "

"If she hasn't already."

Chapter 14

                                      cc

What do you mean you don't know?  She's your sister, isn't she?  Where in
hell has she gone?  " Judd snapped out the question with the precision of a
well-trained drill sergeant

The drive from Hester's to Lois's sister's house on Old Situate Road had been
a series of hairpin turns at high speed on a strip of broken asphalt that was
toq narrow a road for such recklessness.

Judd had said little, giving the winding and bumping road all of his
concentration.  Adrienne had sat stiff, seat belt sq cure, her neck aching
from the tension and her eyes glued to the passing houses for the telltale
cow-shaped rural mailbox

Then suddenly they had both seen it.

Judd had deftly turned into the weed-choked driveway.  Adrienne had been
filled with hope and anticipation that they were just seconds away from
finding little Caleb.

That prospect had vanished when the woman in the doorway said no one was
there but herself.  Judd's obvious ' frustration and fury had exploded into a
direct accusation.

Her terrified gasp had given away more than Adrienne guessed the woman
intended.

Leave it to Judd to skip all the preliminariq and leap right in with the
question he wanted answered.  The sledgehamj mer approach bothered Adrienne,
but on the other hand, he ' had given the woman no chance to think, only to
react, something Adrienne had no doubt that Judd intended.

Now the woman shrank back, her eyes wide, her body seeming to shatter at the
prospect of having to deal with

Judd.  Her red hair had been wound into a ponytail that topped off a plump,
but square frame.  She wore shorts and a generous halter top that only
emphasized the rolls of flesh.

Freckles added interest to an otherwise plain face.

Judd loomed over the woman and Adrienne stepped in , front of him.  But
before she could say a word, he gripped her arm and held her, a definite
signal to not interfere.  ' "You're Lucy, aren't you?"  Judd asked in such a
way that neither a yes or no answer was going to keep her out of trouble.  ;
The woman glanced at Adrienne as if seeing her for the first time.  "I don't
know nothin' "

"And I'm Santa Claus taking a vacation.  Don't try to jam me, lady."

"Judd, take it easy," Adrienne said, while at the same time she guessed that
Judd had taken just about all the runaround he intended to take on this case.
Playing the waiting game as they'd done with Lois had grown tiresome quickly
and, given the jeopardy possibility to Caleb, Judd had simply run out of
patience.

He deliberately dropped his voice to a low pitch.  "You're

Lucy, and Lois Greeley is your sister, isn't she?  "

The woman's head bobbed up and down, her eyes directed away from Judd.

"How long ago did she leave?"

When Lucy only swallowed and tried to back away, Judd reached out and caught
the door so she couldn't close it.

"You don't wanna talk, then you won't mind if I have a look around: It wasn't
a question, for he was already setting her aside as if she were no more of a
hindrance than a cheap lock

When she realized he had passed her and walked into the house, she yelped,
"Hey!  " " " Lucy, it would be best if you just do as he said: '

"Good advice.  If Lois is here and you've been lying to me, you're going to
jail: '

"Jai1!"  Lucy screeched.  Then her mouth trembled.  "I didn't do nothin'.  I
don't even know whaYs goin' on: Judd stalked into what Adrienne assumed was a
bedroom.  " Hey, wait a minute," Lucy shouted.

"He's only going to look around: Adrienne glanced at the neat but definitely
lived-in living room.  " "He ain't got no search warrant: '

"But he has probable cause to believe that Lois is here or has been here.
Your sister is alleged to have kidnapped a baby boy from Seapoint Hospital a
few days ago.  We were told she came here to see you: '

"Who told you that?"

"In her own way, Lois did, but Hester Marple confirmed it: '

Adrienne amazed herself at how calm and controlled she was.  Especially given
the good possibility that Lois had been here.  Her hysteria at Opal's had
definitely been the result of her having been overwrought.  Not that anyone
could be una notional about an abducted infant, but giving in to tean and
desperation helped no one, including the baby.  Keeping one's head was the
best approach.

Judd, she decided, listening to him stalk through the , rooms and then
hearing the back door slam, was not keeping his head.  She'd known at
Hester's that he was worried and more than irritated that Lois just might get
away.  " " You cops?  " i " He is, yes," Adrienne said.  " Actually, Judd is
a detective and I work with Child-Aid.  It's a-"

"I know about Child-Aid," Lucy said.  Her eyes widened with awe and respect,
as if she'd just been presented to royalty.  "Neighbor up the road found her
runaway daughter through Child-Aid.  Some specialist in missing kids..: ' ,
She scowled.  " Don't remember her name.  "

"Her name is Adrienne Trudell," Judd said matter-of factly as he came back
into the room.  His eyes found Adrienne and he shook his head.  She knew he
hadn't found either

Lois or the baby.  , Judd loomed up behind Lucy, who swallowed and tried to
find somewhere to go.

"Was Adrienne Trudell the name of the Child-Aid specialist ?"  Judd asked.
His hands rode low on his hips, his eyes as cold and hard as Adrienne had
ever seen them.

Lucy pressed her shaky fingers to her mouth, looking not at all sure if even
that non answer might get her into trouble Finally, she said, "Yeah sounds
like it: '

"Well, this is your lucky day.  You're looking at the very capable Ms.
Trudell."

Lucy swung back to Adrienne.  "Are you really?  Oh, my neighbor was just
beside herself when you found her little girl, Debbie-Jean."

Adrienne said, "Child-Aid was glad we could help.  Now,

Lucy, since you know about the work we do, you must know that when we come
into a case, it's serious.  Just like when the police are called.  Your
sister is in a lot of trouble.  The parents of that infant are beside
themselves with worry.  "

"Evidence in the bedroom indicates an infant was here , Lucy.  Now, enough of
the stall.  Where did she go?"

"Lois don't mean no harm.  She, well, she's always been gooney about babies.
Personally, I never did know why.  IYs not like they stay little and sweet.
Grow into little mons ten

Judd cursed.  " " For God's sake, lady, are you listening to what in hell I'm
asking you?  "

Adrienne quickly stepped in between Lucy and Judd, who was bearing down on
her.  In a firm voice, Adrienne said, "Lucy, you must tell us.  Judd doesn't
quit and neither do I.  We're not going to go away.  Now, I don't think you
want your house here crawling with cops drilling you with questions : '

"Oh, God..  : ' "

"Please tell us what you know: '

Lucy eyed Judd, and Adrienne could fully understand her fear.  He looked
awesome.  Fiercely determined, wired tight and dangerously secure in the
knowledge that he held most of the cards.  Although Adrienne doubted he'd
break any rules that cops were required to follow, he was definitely pushing
the envelope of intimidation.

"Lucy?"

"She, uh, told me she wanted to go to, uh, Boston.  Yeah, that's it: '

Judd and Adrienne exchanged looks.

"Lucy," Adrienne warned, "I know that's what she told you to say, but you
don't want to lie to us, do you?"

Biting her lip and hugging her arms to her body as if she felt suddenly
chilled, she sagged with relief when a battered pickup pulled into the yard.

A beqfy man flung himself from the cab and came toward them.  He wore a bill
cap, pulled low so that it crushed his shaggy blond hair.  He had arms the
size of tree trunks and wore a T shirt advertising a popular beer; it hung
over old black jeans.  Work boots kicked up the dry August dust as he strode
forward.

Lucy broke away from Adrienne and ran to him.  He caught her to him, his arm
sliding around her protectively.

He walked Lucy back to where Judd and Adrienne were standing.  He nodded to
Judd.  "You a cop?"

Ignoring the question, Judd asked his own.  "You know anything about the
kidnapped baby?"

He sighed.  "Yeah."

"Tony, no, you can't-"

"Baby, you're not helpin' her steal a kid.  I warned you that it was only a
matter of time before the cops showed up.

You ain't takin' no fall for Lois " " "She's my sister and we've always stuck
together: ' ' " She's also got a few lights burned out in the attic," he
said, tapping the side of his head.  " Back when she took that kid in
Wisconsin, the judge should have locked her up instead of just tellin' her to
see a shrink.  " " "That was a long time ago.  Lois swore to me the baby was
hers.  I saw her when she was pregnant."  ' Ignoring her, he said to Judd.
"Look, we don't want no trouble.  Lois is plannin' a bus trip down South.
Fact is, I just took her to get her ticket."  He consulted his watch.

"Her bus leaves in about twenty minutes, so if you get a move on, you might
still catch her."

Adrienne started toward the car.  Judd gripped her arm and stopped her.
"Stay here."

She scowled, but Judd had already moved toward Tony and was taking the man's
arm to move him away from the house.  At first, Tony ballced, but Judd's cold
look quickly changed his mind.

When they were a sufficient distance away, Adrienne watched while the two men
talked.  After a few minutes, she noticed Tony's shoulders slump dejectedly.
Judd walked back to the car, signaled Adrienne and in a few minutes they were
back on the bumpy highway.

"What did you say to him?"  she asked.  "Judd, you didn't threaten him, did
you?"

"What do you think?"

"You did, didn't you?"  For reasons she didn't want to think about, she
wasn't as outraged as she felt she should have been.

He shrugged.  "Just told him I knew he was banging Lois and I'd be more than
willing to pass on the news to Lucy.  If he wanted to keep his happy home
happy, then he'd better give up Lois or face some rather unpleasant moments
with Lucy when she got him alone."

Adrienne stared, her mouth agape.  "How did you know?  "

"That he's getting it on with Lois?  I didn't.  But Tony's saying he'd driven
her to the terminal when we know Lois has her own car was enough to make me
want to question Tony a little more closely."

"She could have sold the car."  "

" Or even junked it.   "

Confused, Adrienne asked, "Then how-"

"Instincts, a hunch: He shrugged.  " I don't know.  Something just didn't
ring true.  "

"So you decided to bluf Adding an accusation of a cozy relationship between
Lois and Tony."

"Don't look so stunned.  It was a shot in the dark.  Just like him trying to
send us on some wild-goose chase to a bus terminal.  If Lois knew we were on
our way, she'd hardly be hanging out in one place for an extended time.
She'd be on the move."

Adrienne was confused.  "So if she's not at the bus station , where are we
going?  "

"To a local park."  ' "He told you she was at a park?"

Judd slammed on the brakes and made a sharp left turn.

"Good ole Tony.  Funny thing about guilt and fear.  They tend to make
confession a high art: '

"So if she's at a park, she's obviously not running from us.  Then she
doesn't know we've located her."

"A major break, angel.  Tony said Hester talked to Lucy after Lois went to
the park.  Then Tony went to warn Lois that we were on to her."

"But-" " " He chickened out.  Tony's tale of Lucy's not taking a fall ' for
Lois was only a smoke sclsn.  This guy knows the score.

Once I gave him a few salient facts about his own situation, , should Lois
disappear again, he got the picture.  Compliclh ' and aiding and abetting can
be real trouble.  Tony might be horny, but he isn't stupid.  "

Adrienne swallowed, trying to absorb the incredible turn ; of events.  What
astonished her was how quickly Judd had latched on to the ruse.  She thought
Tony had sounded credible and genuinely worried that Lucy might get into
trouble for harboring Lois.  Instead, when his own hide was at stake, he
couldn't wait to confess.

If one could call three benches, a few spindly trees and more dirt than grass
a park, then this one barely qualified.

A parking area had a number of cars, a couple of vans and some compact
station wagons.  To Adrienne's amazement, , the absence of the usual
amenities hadn't detracted from the ; laughter and camaraderie of the mothers
and their young ' children.  A swing set was getting a lot of use and a
sandbox was occupied by three little girls with plastic buckets and shovels.

Judd slowed down.  "Check out the license plates."  He gave Adrienne the
plate number, but none of those in the area matched.

"Maybe she did sell or junk the car," Adrienne commented , the disappointment
audible in her voice.

"Or she parked somewhere else."  Judd took the sketch from his pocket,
studied it a few moments and then mq thodically searched the crowd of women.
"What do you think?  Spot anyone who resembles the sketch."

"I saw that picture of Lois on her bulletin board, remember ?  Leo did a good
job on the sketch."  Adrienne searched the crowd.  Her gaze passed over a
woman with a carriage and then came back to her.  She was walking near the
park edge in a methodical gait, paying little attention to the other mothers.

"Judd, look over there."

"The one who's turned and is coming this way?"

"Yes."  She opened her car door and started to get out.

Judd stopped her.  "What do you think you're doing?"

"Myjob'q

"Wait a minute.  You can't just walk up to her and say,

"By the way, are you the kidnapper I'm looking for?"  "

"How about if I walk up to her and say " Hi, would you mind if I admire your
baby?  " " " " Adrienne.  "

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.  "You really don't have any
confidence in me, do you?  Giving in to my being assigned to work with you
was just because you c couldn't easily get rid of me without getting a lot of
hassle"

"I'm not questioning your ability."

"Yes, you are.  I just witnessed your hardball approach in dealing with Lucy.
Unless you didn't notioe, you didn't learn a damn thing from her.  All you
did was scare her to death."

"In case you missed it, we're here because I did get something out of Tony."

"Threats and intimidation and, worst of all, an accusation that may not even
be true.  But if you'd followed through and told Lucy, he would have never
been able to prove otherwise."

 "

" What are you talking about?    "

"You said yourself that accusing Tony of sleeping with Lois had been a shot
in the dark.  If he hadn't caved in and told you what you wanted to know and
you'd told Lucy-it would have destroyed their relationship."

"You're breaking my heart," Judd muttered.  " " You really don't understand
how a relationship works, do you?  " In that moment, Adrienne suddenly
zqealized why Judd had avoided her, why he would never want her.  Not because
he didn't want a relationship, but because he would have to trust her, trust
himself, and that terrified him.  Losing his family hadn't just made him
cynical, it had made him hollow and unable to believe in anything except what
he could control.

He gripped her chin, his voice low.  "I don't give a damn about Tony and
Lucy's relationship.  They got themselves into this by choice.  I do,
however, give a whole lot of damn about Caleb being returned to his parents.
Besides, unless I've missed something, I thought that was what you wanted."

"It is!"

"Thank God, we finally agree on something."  Then in a move that stunned her,
he reached across her and opened her door.  "Lead the way."

Not wanting to take the time to ask him why he'd suddenly changed his mind,
she swung her legs out.

She turned her head and he caught her mouth in a sudden kiss that made her
melt.

"Be careful.  I'll be just a few yards behind you: '

She nodded and got out of the car.  Suddenly, she felt as if she'd won the
battle and lost the war.  She made herself focus on the present and finding
Caleb; there were weqks, months and years ahead to figure out how she could
have been so foolish as to allow Judd back into her life.

Adrienne approached Lois slowly.  She certainly didn't want to alert her or
startle her.  The sun beat down and Adrienne felt the pearls of sweat slide
between her breasts and break out across the back of her neck.

She sensed Judd behind her, moving so as not to look as if he was following
her.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped her hands into her pockets and made herself
sound friendly.  "Hi.  Beautiful day for a walk, isn't it?"

I,ois glanced up, her eyes anything but friendly.  "The carriage was old, the
plastic bonnet faded and the wheels looking none too steady.  Lois held the
handle firmly.  No noise came from inside.  Instead of answering Adrienne,
she turned her back.

"I'd love to seq your baby "

"

" Go away.    "

"Oh, I won't wake him."

"How'd you know it was a him?"

Adrienne damned herself for the slip.  "A friend just had a baby boy, so I
guess infant boys are on my mind: '

The woman grunted.  "Go away.  I don't show no one my baby.  Lot of sick
people out there.  I don't take no chances: '

"Do you come here often?  I've been looking for a nice plaoe to bring my
niece and- "

"Why are you asking' me questions?  I don't know you.

I,ots of others to talk to.  Why you comin' over here and asking' me?  " '

Adrienne had to think fast.  " " Actually, I was hoping you could tell me a
littq bit about the area.  I'm new around here.

Just moved to I,ouiston: She watched carefully for any sign of anything
unusual.  All the while she talked, she cautiously moved closer.  Carefully
opening her purse, Adrienne reached inside and felt around for the plastic
object.

Finding it, she said, "

" Here, I have something for your son: '

The comment seqmed to throw Lois and her eyes darted around.

Adrienne took the object from her purse and the woman immediately stiffened.
" " Where'd you get that?  "

"I brought it for your son."

"He don't neqd no blue rattle."

"But all babies love rattles: Adrienne held it up and then rattled it.  The
woman leaped back as if it were alive.

"I.ois," Adrienne said softly, "I want you to let me have the carriage."

"No!  Get away from me.  You can't have him: '

"He's not yours, I.ois," Adrienne said softly while all the time moving
closqr.  "I know you want him to be and I know ' you wouldn't hurt him, but
he needs to be with his real parents You're not his mother, lois.  Do you
understand me?"

The woman began to sway back and forth, her voice keening and rife with pain.
Adrienne reached for the carriage handle.

Suddenly, she shrieked, "He's mine!  I been waitin' and waitin' to get him
and you ain't takin' him from me: '

"I,ois, he's not yours.  You know he isn't.  You took another woman's baby.
That's against the law: All the while she talked, Adrienne felt the cold
sweat of terror and desperately tried to keep it from her voire.  More than
anything , she didn't want to startle the woman into running with the
carriage and possibly hurting Caleb.  She really had no idea what Lois's
mental state was, but she knew that an in-your face approach rarely worked in
cases dealing with missing children.  The idea was to get the suspect off
guard so that the approach became more of a mental dismantling rather than a
swat team attack.

Lois, however, tugged the carriage closer to her and away from Adrienne.  She
knew then that I,ois wasn't going to just hand over the baby.  Instead, she
gave Adrienne a piercing look that was truly frightening.  And for the first
time since she'd approached Lois, Adrienne wondered if Judd's intimidating
approach might have worked better.

Snarling at Adrienne, she said, " " I been wantin' a baby for so long and I
finally figured out how to do it.  You can't take him.  You can't: She
started to run, shoving the carriage ahead of her.  It rocked back and forth
and Adrienne heard the squall of the baby.

She also heard Judd swear behind her.  She started to run after Lois, and
within moments Judd had passed her.  Lois was no match for either his
endurance or his speed.  He grabbed the woman, while at the same time
reaching around and snagging the carnage before it tipped over.

Adrienne hurried up and took the carriage handle.  Lois, however, didn't give
up.  She kickeq andqscreamed until most of the women in the park were
gathering around and watching in stunned disbelief.

I,ois shouted, "He's tryin' to kill me and she's gonna steal my baby.  Help
me!  Get them away from me.  My baby, oh, my poor baby..  : '

Judd swore and gripped her harder.  She managed to kick him before Adrienne
swung around and slapped her face.

For about five seconds, Judd gaped at her, and Lois, so taken aback by the
sudden move, lost her momentum.  ' Adrienne sucked in her own breath and
turned to the women who seemed about to herd together to pull Judd away from

Lois.

In a firm voire, she said, "He's a cop, and if any of you want to be charged
with assaulting an offioer, then go ahead and touch him."

They all halted.  "WhaYs going on?"  someone asked.

"I'm from Child-Aid.  The baby is Caleb Whitewell.  He was abducted from the
Seapoint Hospital a few days ago."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that.  You mean, this is the woman who took him?"

"She's going to be charged, yes: Adrienne glanoed up to see two police
officers walking toward them.

Judd had managed to get lois's hands tied behind her back.  He said nothing
to Adrienne, but when the two officen came up to him, he said, "" You guys
did it just right: ' , " " Yeah, we figured you were trying to fake her out
so the kid wouldn't get hurt: '

"Adrienne faked her out: '

One of the officers gave her an impressed smile.  "That slap did the trick,
Ms. Trudell.  A little unorthodox, but given the circumstances..  "

Lois glowered at Adrienne.  "I'm gonna charge the bitch with assault."

"Shut up, Lois.  By the time all the charges are tallied against you, you're
gonna be damn glad the slap stopped q you from makin' things worse," the
officer said.

Adrienne lifted the baby from the carriage and held him against her body.
The thumping of his heart and the screaming coming from his healthy lungs had
never felt so good.

Judd came over beside her.  "He okay?"

"I think so.  He should be checked over at the hospital, but one thing to
Lois's credit.  She didn't hurt him "

"Cute little kid," Judd murmured.  "By the way, where did you get the rattle?
It was a brilliant move."

" " Remember the one I got from the hospital?   I still had it in my purse.
I decided to use it to see if my having it would throw her off enough so
that she'd make a mistake.   "

"Well, it worked."  He put his arm around her and gave her a brief hug before
letting her go.  "All in all, a pretty incredible performance, Ms. Trudell."

"Ah, one of those compliments again, Detective Dillon.  You're surely going
to turo my head."

He grinned and dropped a casual kiss on her mouth.  "Come on.  Let's go home."

Adrienne felt both a burst of enthusiastic satisfaction and a sense of
letdown.  Happy that Caleb was safe and would soon be back with his parents,
but more than a little miserable that her time with Judd was at an end.

How easy it would be to mention something like a celebration dinner.  Or some
time together to relax and bask in their good work on the case.  Nothing
unusual about that, but she knew it wouldq't happen.

He didn't want it and she knew that any extended time with him now would
surely reveal her heart.  S_he felt as if she were facing unending dark
loneliness.

And it was no one's fault but her own.

She'd managed to break all her self-imposed promises.

She'd fallen in love with Judd Dillon all over again.

Chaqter 15

Back in Seapoint, four days later, Judd's desk work at the polioe station
should have been back to its usual routine.  But it wasn't.

Nothing in his life had returned to ordinary.  Nothing.  !  Sqvearing at the
situation he found himself in, pummeled by emotionally laden reactions to
every thought about

Adrienne, he damned the fact that his life was no longer singly his.  The
hell of it was that he knew why and he didn't like it.  He didn't like it one
little bit.

He finished up his expense sheets and tied up the loose , ends of his report
on the Whitewell case.

Caleb had been given a thorough check at the hospital and had been found to
be in excellent health.  Tony and

Lucy, apparently seriously concerned about their own culpability , had
notified the police, which accounted for the timely arrival of the officers
at the park.  And as Judd had suspected, Lois had parked her car so that the
plate couldn't be easily spotted.  Since the arrest, Lois had been charged
with kidnapping and was being held at the women's detention center.  At her
arraignment, the judge had denied bai1 and ordered psychiatric evaluation.
It would be months before she came to trial, but Judd was certain the
evidence was strong enough and the witnesses plentiful enough that Lois would
go to prison.

Judd wished his private life were as cut-and-dried.  Over and over, he tried
to tell himself that working with Adrienne had been a new experience; he'd
adjusted and could honestly admit that she'd given him a new perspective on
working with a woman.  Now, if that attitude were only from a work
standpoint, then he could pat himself on the back and that would be that.

But it was more than an enlightened viewpoint.  It was Adrienne and him and
what had happened between them.  She'd changed him and he wasn't sure if he
welcomed that.

It would be so simple to just fall back on Diana as an excuse Despite
occasional problems, he'd loved and cherished his wife, but in many ways,
Diana had been an easy woman to love.  She'd rarely hassled him about
anything, had never argued or challenged him the way Adrienne had, but more
important was that Judd had found something with Adrienne.  Something he'd
thought he would never want again.  A woman's love.

Mike Shelby stopped by his desk.  "I thought you were gonna leave early
today.  Litchfield said he ordered you to take a week off and he didn't want
to see your face around here after four o'clock today."

"I wanted to get this paperwork finished up."

"Not like you, Judd.  You usually get that stuff out of the way within
twenty-four hours of finishing a case."

"Yeah, well, I've got a lot on my mind," he mizrmured.

As if Mike knew exactly what was on Judd's mind, he said casually, "I saw
Adrienne a few minutes ago.  She didn't look too happy."

Judd glanced up.  "What was wrong with her?"

Mike shrugged.  "Beats me.  But she did say she asked to be transferred out
of here to another branch of Child-Aid.  The chief tried to talk her out of
it, but she was insistent.  Something about professionalism."

Judd's lips set in a grim line.  "Has she left?  I mean, for the day?  "

"Yeah.  Maybe you ought to talk to her, Judd.  You two seemed to hit it off.
Litchfield wasn't pleased about losing her: Mike waved to another officer who
was passing by.  Judd scowled, staring at his desk.  Mike continued, " Oh, by
the way, you know how we've been trying to get a reason out of Lois Greeley
for why she took the baby at the particular time she did?  "

"Yeah."

"You won't believe it.  It was right under your nose."  Mike told him what
he'd learned and Judd closed his eyes in disgust that he hadn't zeroed in on
it.  He knew why.  One Ms. Adrienne Trudell-and making love to her-had
dominated his thoughts.  Instead of using the kind of logic and reasoning
that any first-year rookie would use to figure out the whys of Lois's
actions, he'd been busy thinking of Adrienne.  What was more disturbing was
that he hadn't even bothered to follow up on Lois himself, to learn if she
had revealed her motive for having taken the baby when she did.

"Does Adrienne know?"  Judd asked.

"Don't think so."

He shoved his chair back.  This gave him a valid excuse to see her and maybe,
just maybe-what?  A sharp pain hit him somewhere uncomfortably close to his
heart.  Who was he kidding?

He could tell her about Lois on the phone.  Given his new insight about his
feelings for Adrienne, if he really wanted not to act on them, he could do
the professional thing.  Call her and keep it short and to the point.  But
even as that possibility leaped into his consciousness, he dismissed it.  No,
he wanted to see her.

More than he wanted just about anything, he concluded emphatically.  He
realized that every stalling tactic he'd used in the past to avoid any
relationship with her simply didn't work anymore.

He wanted Adrienne, and as much as he may have wanted to dismiss it, he knew
he wanted more than sex.

Getting to his feet, he said to Mike, "Oh, by the way, I'm putting the house
on the market."  Another decision he'd made since returning to Seapoint.  Not
particularly long and involved, but in his gut he knew it was the right
decision.  The time had come to let the past rest in peace.  "My dad had a
call while I was in Louiston.  Someone is interested, but I know you said
that if I ever decided to sell, you and Susan would be interested.  I'll give
you first refusal: ' " "What changed your mind?"

" " Time to really move on, I guess.   Time to finally settle the past and
get on with my life.   "

"A reckoning of sorts, huh?"

"Yeah."  He shrugged into his jacket.  "Let me know by the end of the week,
okay?  " " " I can probably say yes right now.  Susan has always had a soft
spot for that house.  In fact, we drove by there last Sunday and she
commented on how much she'd love to have it: '

"Well, talk it over, anyway.  One thing I learned about women after working
with Adrienne is that they hate us men making assumptions about them."

A half hour later, he'd parked beside her compact at her apartment building,
but instead of getting out of the car and casually going in to see her, he
found himself waiting it out, shaky and unsure.

Perhaps because the last time he'd been in her apartment had been that night
a year ago.

Perhaps because he'd learned a few things about his feelings for Adrienne
that felt a helluva lot like serious stuffq stuff that included love and
caring and wanting.  All feelings he'd sworn he'd never allow himself to feel
again.

The trouble with Adrienne was that from the moment I he'd made love to her a
year ago, he'd known he wasn't casual about her.  That was exactly why he'd
avoided her.  " " So what in hell am I doing here?  " he muttered out loud in
the empty car.  Why was he sitting here contemplating doing something that
rattled him more than the most dangerous police work?

Damn.

He shoved open the door, slammed it closed, stalked up the walk and leaned on
her doorbell in the security alcove.

He rang it four times before she finally responded.  ,

"IYs Judd: '

A moment of silence.  "Judd?"

"Yeah, remember me?  The detective."

"What do you want?"

"To talk to you: ' "

"About what?"

On the tip of his tongue was a raunchy comment, but he held it back.
"Adrienne, please.  This isn't something I want to discuss through an
intercom."

She buzzed him in and moments later she opened her apartment door.  If he'd
expected shyness or nervousness, he would have been dead wrong.  Her
expression was aloof and her eyes watchful.  I Judd took an unsteady breath.

She wore a light blue robe belted at the waist that stopped just above her
knees.  She was barefoot, but the most intriguing part was her hair.  It was
wound up turban-style in a huge Tqrkish towel, a few wet ends sticking to her
neck.  Obviously, she'd just gotten out of the shower.

"I'm surprised you let me in: God, he hadn't felt this gauche and jumpy since
he was ten years old.

"Why?  You've seen me in less than this: '

"Brassy as hell, aren't you?"

She lifted her chin.  "

" Yes: '

Then she turned and crossed the room, which was arranged with the light
airiness of wicker that contrasted with the strong colors of drapes and
cushions.  Plants bloomed everywhere, but most profusely in a small window
greenhouse where the sun streamed in.

Judd stepped inside cautiously, the flood of memories from the last time he
was here almost overwhelming.  "I heard you asked to be transferred to
another branch of Child-Aid: '

"That's right.  Would you like some iced tea?"

"No " He shoved his hands into his pockets.  "Why?"

" " I thought you might be thirsty.   " She took a sip from her glass and
then went over and picked up the watering can.   " "I'm talking about your
leaving the station: '

"I would think that would please you.  One less woman who causes havoc in the
ranks.  Despite that rather raucous comment of yours to Fairfax at the
beginning of the investigation , I don't think the entire department is that
in awe of me."

"The comment about your reputation as a tough broad?"

"Yes."

"Maybe a slight exaggeration to let Fairfax know he wasn't talking to some
empty-headed female, but the larger issue of your being respected was true."

She paused a few moments, as if it wasn't the answer she'd expected.  "Thank
you for that," she said, but the stiffness of her body language definitely
indicated nothing had been settled between them.

Judd decided to cut right to the point.  "You're leaving because of what
happened between us, aren't you?"

She whirled, her eyes snapping.  He realized immediately that her anger was
deeply entrenched.

"Don't flatter yourself, Detective Dillon.  I managed to survive sleeping
with you a year ago, I imagine the ad justI ment this time won't be any more
of a problem."

Judd il inched "It's gonna be a helluva problem for me," he said, the words
coming almost by themselves.  I " " You?  You walked out of here before the
sun came up the last time and never gave me a second thought.  And maybe
thaYs the way it is with onqnight stands, but it doesn't mean i I have to
allow it to happen again: She took a deep breath.  "" In l,ouiston, well, I
let my guard down, but I can't just sleep with you, Judd, because we-as you
so profoundly put it-have good sex.  " !  She then turned her back once again
and prooeeded to over water every plant.

Judd knew he needed to get the words out, to tell her how he felt and yet
they stuck in his throat with the tenacity of a damn confession.  " "
Adrienne, there is something else I came to tell you.  It's about the case.  "

She turned and faoed him, her eyes suddenly concerned.

"Nothing's wrong with Caleb, is there?  I talked to Tanya on the phone before
I left my office today and she didn't say

;,

"No, this is about I,ois.  She told us why she took Caleb at the time she
did: '

"Choosing Caleb was due to the mere fact that he happened to be there when
she planned to grab a baby.  It wasn't q q particular, just Seapoint
Hospital.  She did know the hospital routine, as we conjectured, but more
important , she knew that she'd get away with it that particular vreqc."

Adrienne frowned.  " " My mother always goes on vacation that particular week
in August," he said.  " And she's the only one who never forgets the faces or
names of any of the volunteers.  They usually come and go, and unless they've
made some huge contribution, none of the staff ever remembers them.  Lois
would have attracted zero attention from anyone but my mother.  And because
Lois stole those newborn packets and Mom gave her a break by not turning her
in, Lois would have been a real standout if Mom had seen her with Caleb "

"So Lois took advantage of the period when she knew your mother would be
gone?"

"Yeah.  Mom's bridge group chose that week years ago and Lois knew it.
Apparently, she did call the hospital just to doublqcheck, but since Mom was
probably the only one who would have instantly recognized her, I.ois used the
time to make her move."

Adrienne shook her head in disbelief.  "It's so simple.  We should have
figured it out once we learned your mother knew her and knew of the theft."
" " I should have figured it out: '

For long beats of silence, they stared at each other across the span of the
room that separated them.

Adrienne swallowed.  "Thank you for coming and telling me."

"Sure."

Again, a tense stillness swept between them.

Judd watcherl her, and then he spoke, his voice low.  " " You don't have to
transfer because of me.  "

"Actually, the branch I'm going to needs some skilled hands, so it'll be for
the best."

"No " He closed his eyes a moment then shoved a hand through his hair and
swore.  " " Look, I'm not doing this very well because I don't know exactly
what to say to you: '

; She looked everywhere but at him.  Now that Lois and her ; motive had been
disposed of, there seemed little left to say that wasn't personal.

"Would you excuse me a minute?  I have to get my hair combed out before it
dries in a snarled mess."  Without waiting for him to answer, she edged out
of the room.

Judd expelled what had to have been five minutes' worth ; of breath.  God,
why was it so damn difficult to just say what i he wanted to say, what needed
to be said?  He knew why.

Terror.  He was terrified she would tell him to go straight to hell.  ', God,
maybe he should just leave.

, God, she hoped he'd leave.  Or did she really hope he'd stay?  Hope he'd
sweep her up and-dammit, she knew better Judd Dillon was never going to sweep
her up.  , Never.  Never.  Never.

Adrienne sat at her dressing table, dragging a comb through her hair, wiqcing
at the pricks of pain and barely able to see her reflection through her
tears.  She'd done what ' she'd determined to do.  She'd kept herself loose
and casual ; she hadn't shown any cracks or let her guard down.

She'd been flawless in handling herself and hiding the storm of pain and deep
agony her heart was struggling with.  The result was that she had what she
wanted.

                                      ,

She was alone and he would most likely leave just as he'd come.  Her pride
and her personal professional image would be whole onoe again.  And once
she'd transferred out of the ; police station, she would no longer have to
worry about running into him.

She'd be free.  ; She'd be miserable.  i The familiar squeak of the
floorboard brought her head !  up and widened her eyes when she glanced into
the mirror.

Judd.  The comb fell from her hands.

"Don't send me away, Adrienne."

She swallowed, a rush of desire and need spreading through her.  "Judd..  ."

He moved into the room.  "Since I saw you that first day of the kidnapping
and knew I'd be working with you, I've tried to tell myself you mean nothing
to me.  I didn't want you to mean anything: '

She watched him come closer, unable to speak because she didn't know what to
say.  Where was all this going?  A few moments of lovemaking?  What really
worried her was her own intense reactions to him.  She loved him and she
wasn't sure she could hide that or deny him, no matter what he wanted.

He'd taken off his jacket and as he walked up behind her, she watched in the
mirror as he pulled his shirt off, flinging it across her rose-point
upholstered chair.  The low-riding jeans he wore were snug and she fleetingly
thought of their silly conversations about her neckties and his jeans.  He
did look good-too good-and she blanched at the blatant rq verse sexism of her
thoughts.

She brought her gaze up to safer places, only to encounter a strong chest
that sent too many sensual images singing through her.  He'd stopped right
behind her chair.

"What do you want, Judd," she managed to ask.

"I want inside you, Adrienne."

The bold words shimmied through her.  "Judd, having sex again- " " " Making
love, angel.  "

"IYs not love.  You don't want it to be love."

"But it is, and whether I want it to be or not doesn't seem to have a whole
lot of relevance to my heart or my thoughts: He gently pulled her up and away
from the chair, keeping her back to his chest, sliding his hands down inside
her robe.  Her breasts were full and nestled in his hands so sweetly, he
sucked in his breath.

Adrienne fought off the clamoring need for him.  "What did you say?"  So
confounded by his touch, she was sure she must have misinterpreted his words.
His mouth brushed kisses along her neck as his fingers did magical things to
her nipples.  "If you're trying to prove we have a sexual attraction ."

"No need to prove that," he murmured, the mastery of his hands and mouth
befuddling any sensible thoughts she I could conjure up.  "It's already true.
What it took me too damn long to figure out is that wanting you and loving
you come from some source far more powerful than my ability to resist you: '

She closed her eyes, basking in the deftness of his hands on her breasts, her
belly and along her thighs.  She leaned , ' back as he worked the robe off,
his mouth at her neck, her shoulders.  When his fingers moved between her
legs, she ; whimpered.  j " " Ah, Adrienne, yes.  "

His hardness pressed against her and when she heard the hiss of the zipper,
she knew she had to stop things.  " " Judd, we can't.  I don't have anything
to protect-" " "IYs okay."

 "

" No.    .    I could get pregnant.    : '

"Shh, that's okay, too.  We're going to get married."

She went totally still, fighting her way out of the smoky passion that
clouded her head.  Then, in a moment of total lucidity, she flung his hands
off her.

He took a step back, momentarily off balance from the abrupt action.

Sqvinging around and trying to shake herself from the sensual haze he'd
created, she said.  "We're going to do what?"

 "

" You want to just live together?    "

"I want to know what in hell is going on: '

He moved to the bed, where he perched on the corner, his i hands gripping the
mattress.  As he lowered his head, Adrienne was struck with how right he
looked here in her bed ; room.  Rumpled and gorgeous, and oh, so right.  She
recalled his reaction that day in the glass walkway at the hospital and how
uneasy he'd been.  The same uneasiness she'd often felt from him after they'd
been intimate Her thoughts stopped with a rush of hope, fear and warmth.
Judd felt things for her he was afraid to face.  That had to be it.  Making
love to her had given him insight he hadn't wanted, just as sunlight revealed
things not always clear otherwise.

He raised his head.  "The only thing going on is that I love you and I don't
know how to tell you: '

Her heart took a gigantic leap and she realized she was standing half-naked
in front of him and probably looking shell-shocked.

"You just told me," she murmured, expecting and waiting for him to grab back
the words.

"Yeah, but words are easy, angel.  Sex is easy.  It's the forever after
that's hard, the forever after that makes them real.  After I lost Diana, I
made up my mind that forever after was too risky.  Being alone was safer and
it definitely prevented getting hurt in the future."

" " You made that pretty clear the night you came back here with me.   " "
"Did I?   God, I tried like hell to make it casual.   Right up to walking out
before dawn: ' " "It was all..   .   deliberate?   " " " You told me you
loved me.   "

She clamped her hand over her mouth.  "No!  I never said that: '

"Not in words, but you didn't need to.  Your body, your heart, your total
involvement told me more than words.  I knew you, remember?  I knew that Ms.
Adrienne Trudell was no one-night-stand type and that because of your mother,
you were very cautious of men, leery of showing any kind of vulnerability."

"And all those things are why you left?"

"Yeah.  All those things were what I wanted and what I was afraid to take: '

"Oh, Judd, I thought you just wanted seg."

"That's what I wanted you to think: He paused and then grinned.  " Then
again, making love with you is pretty spectacular i She drew in a breath, and
moved closer to him.  "I didn't want to love you again.  What happened in
I.ouiston scared me because it made me remember just how much I wanted you,
how much I loved you.  I knew I couldn't work with ; you again and keqp you
from knowing: '

He slipped his arm around her and kissed her deeply, i drawing her down onto
the bed.  Sliding his hand under her ' hips, he pulled the robe out from
under her and tossed it aside.  He dispensed with his jeans and rolled on top
of her in one swift motion, entering her with one long stroke.

"You're going to make me pregnant."  !  "Damn right.  Then you'll have to
marry me to save your professional image."

She laughed, an incredible joy spilling from her heart.

"Really, Detective Dillon.  You could get on your knees and ' ask in a proper
way."

" g you could get on your ; Now, Ms. " IYudell, I was thinkin , knees and
thank me- "

"Judd!"  But she grinned and pulled him against her.

"Today we make a baby.  Tomorrow we buy a ring.  How about we get married the
following day?"

She kissed him.  "Right now, let's just concentrate on making the baby."  '
"Yeah," he murmured, his hips moving against her.  "We could concentrate on
that for a dozen weeks or so."

"I love you: '

"Forever and forever."  "

" And ever.   "

                                  * * * * *

(C)SILHOUETTE

qon Sensa

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Rock O'Connor was a cop in Chicago and he'd seen things that had made him
lose faith in people, whereas Lee Kendall was an eternal optimist who Iived
every second of her life to the full, thought people were fascinating and
really believed in true love.  But it was Lee that someone wanted to kill !
Suddenly it had become vitally important to Rock that he solve this
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MmNIGHT STRANGER Diana Whimey Ruth Ridenour was on the run, determined to
keep her baby son safe.  She met Garrett Kincade when he was wounded aod
tleeing from the corrupt but long arm of the local law.  They were two
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were for the moment, but could true love really grow in such tense
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NO MORE SECRETS Linda Randall Wisdom Security specialist Nikki Price had
returned to Scott Carter's house because she felt she might have unwittingly
betrayed him and his young daughter when she'd uncovered a traitor there five
years ago.  Now she needed answers.  Their lives depended on them.  But she'd
broken the cardinal rule: NEVER FALL IN
LOVE.  .