Chapter 7

"There he goes again," Judy murmured as Russell rushed from the dinner table. She watched him weave his way around the maze of tables, wait staff and diners to make a beeline to the men's room. "Maybe you should follow him."

Tom grimaced. "Trust me. He doesn't need my help."

"What's his deal?"

"You mean the restroom?"

She nodded. Dinner with the possible best man had consisted of outlandish stories and frequent restroom excursions.

"I don't know. Weak bladder, I guess."

"Do you think it could be drugs?"

Tom choked on his beer. "Russell? Nah, sweetheart, I don't think so."

"He's fidgety and he's been in that restroom at least a dozen times since we sat down."

He frowned. "Has it been that much?"

"At least." She took Tom's hand. "Please check on him. I don't want to lose my badge due to association."

"Come on, Jude. He's not that bad."

"You almost lost your badge because of him. I'm not willing to take the risk."

"You have a good point." He squeezed her hand and moved to leave. Then Russell reappeared.

"You weren't leaving without me?" Russell asked. "That wouldn't be nice."

A furious glare darkened Tom's eyes. Judy decided to jump in before her fiancé unleashed. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Russell shrugged. "Right as rain. So what did I miss? Oh, yeah, I was telling you about the time I did an exposé on the dangers of ostrich farming in upstate New York."

Judy tuned out as Russell began his latest sordid tale. She glanced at Tom who didn't seem any more interested than she was. What was it about their friendship that made her man hang in there? Was Russell a decent person beneath his broad winks and bravado persona? And how often would he be around after she and Tom got married?


"So last night I got a call from Zeke at the Boom Boom Room," Doug said, his voice uncharacteristically tight with tension. "Some bozo was down there talking about your bachelor party and whether or not the place could hold fifty Vegas showgirls and an elephant." Doug's eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Tom. "I take it Russell Butthead is in town."

After the night Tom had, he wasn't putting up with any more attitude from anyone. His patience had run out around 2 am when he threatened Russell with bodily harm if he didn't shut the hell up and let Tom get some sleep. With no patience left in reserve, Tom's fuse was set to auto.

"Yeah, he's in town," he bit out. "Before you start, I don't want to hear another word about the bachelor party. I never asked for one. That was your idea. It was also your idea to call Russell and now he's here. Deal with it, but leave me out of it."

Tom didn't wait for his partner's response. He stormed from his desk and beat a path out of the chapel. His footsteps pounded the gravel covered parking lot as he headed to his Mustang. Once he reached his destination, he paced the length of his vintage roadster. The urge to roar off pumped wildly in his veins, but he knew better than to drive in his current state of mind. The last time he did, a kid almost died and Tom nearly lost his badge. Funny, how both Penhall and Buckins tied into that.

"Hanson, wait!"Doug jogged toward him. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, but I'd love to get the hell out of here."

"Listen, man, I didn't mean to come down on you," Doug said quietly. "It's just that… Well, you're my best friend and I want this party to go down nicely. It's a tribute to you and a farewell to your bachelor days."

"But I didn't ask for it," Tom said. "Fifty showgirls and an elephant?"

Doug raised his hands in defense. "That's not my idea of fun."

"And I didn't ask for you and Russell to play tug-o-war with me in the middle!" Tom shouted. "Judy and I are getting married and I can't figure out why you think a bachelor party is more important than that!"

"Calm down." Doug lightly patted Tom's shoulder. "You're getting all worked up and it's not like that. It's just a party."

"Then tone it down."

"I'm not the one looking to house an elephant!"

Tom fixed him with a hard look.

"Okay, okay. " Doug stepped back. "I'll handle everything. No worries. Promise."

"Don't promise."

"Okay, no promise, but everything will be fine. You'll see."


"The frustration must be killing you."

Judy gave Harry a half smile. "I thought we would have cracked this one by now."

They spoke softly as they followed their suspects into the auditorium for the afternoon assembly program. The officers had been following the alleged thieves for almost two weeks without a major break in the case. The stoners had skills Judy and Harry hadn't seen before, but she knew that their good luck streak would reach its limit.

"I'm not talking about the case," Harry said as they sat a couple of rows behind the teenagers. "I heard Russell Buckins is back. Penhall is pissed."

"He's not the only one," she muttered.

Harry's eyes widened. "Is he that bad?"

She shrugged, somehow keeping tight control over her emotions. "He's bad enough. At least he likes to think he is."

Harry squeezed her arm. "Hanson loves you."

"I know," she said with a smile. "That got me through dinner last night."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Why would you ask that?" she said quietly.

"Because I know you and I know that when you're this close to getting what you want, nothing will stop you."

She shrugged. "You have a point."

"I'm in."

She regarded him with a frown. "In on what?"

"Whatever scheme you're cooking up," Harry said, grinning. "I'm in. I'm your right hand man."

A sense of foreboding caused butterflies to go crazy in her stomach. "Maybe it won't come to…whatever you're suggesting."

"But if it does," Harry insisted, "I'm in. All the way. One hundred per cent."

"I'll keep that in mind."