The Marlowe Prep Murder
Chapter 33
Kate's tote drops from her fingertips as soon as she crosses the threshold of the loft, and she slips out of her shoes where she stands. Working his thumbs into her shoulder blades, Rick massages her neck. "Tired?"
"Drained," she admits. "Catching the bad guys was the easy part. Dealing with the bureaucracy is killing me. News on Nico's dealings with the Russians is leaking out. I think the family members may be releasing it themselves to gain some distance from an idiot who got himself caught. Whispers are even beginning to surface that he's not a real Cardano."
"Ironic," Rick notes, "considering that what the Old Man set in motion to keep his secret is what ended up bringing both him and Nico down. He must be pretty broken."
Kate nods. "I haven't seen him since he was arraigned. The D.A.'s office is running the case. But from what I hear from Ms. Harbrough, he's not even fighting. The D.A. is expecting the Old Man to be a wealth of information, and when the D.A. has what he wants, he'll let the Southern District get their chance to use him to build a racketeering case – if he lasts that long. Ms. Harbrough says he's pretty frail."
"If the Old Man knew his health was going downhill fast, that might have been why he was pushing so hard to turn the reins over to Nico," Rick speculates. "I imagine that when the Cardanos get the nerve to poke their heads up again, there's going to be one hell of a power struggle."
"Probably," Kate agrees. "But if they take each other down, the N.Y.P.D. isn't going to weep too many tears. I just hope no innocents get caught in the crossfire."
"Amen to that," Rick declares, "but I don't want to see Sal get hit, either. In his way, he's been a friend, and he's most likely too low on the totem pole for anyone to worry about him. Maybe he'll decide to confine himself to restaurant management. He's good at it, and he doesn't let customers stiff the servers."
The corners of Kate's mouth twitch. "I hate to think how he enforces that. But I love how you can see the good in people, even crime family capos."
Rick pecks her nose with a kiss. "Maybe I just hate the thought of New Yorkers having to lose out on good bowls of pasta. And speaking of food, what would tickle your palate? Alexis called to say she's going out to Build-a-Burger with some of her fellow forensics obsessives, and mother is at the theater, so culinary choices are purely ours."
"Babe, if you don't mind, I don't want to think about eating right now. Maybe I'll decide to grab something later, but at the moment, I just want to put my feet up, drink a glass of wine and talk about anything but the Cardanos."
"You've got it. And it just so happens," Rick remarks, "that I've already opened your favorite red to breathe. I started writing a new chapter today," Rick adds, getting two goblets out of a cabinet in the kitchen, while Kate stretches out on the couch. "Heat and Rook's relationship is," he wiggles his eyebrows, "progressing. An editor at Black Pawn thinks I should throw in a plausible competitor for Heat's affections, to introduce some conflict into the story. But it's still my call. What do you think?"
Kate rolls her eyes. "An incompetent captain and a political hack from 1PP trying to hit on Nikki aren't enough conflicts? That's the part I hate in almost every romance novel and women's T.V. movie. Boy meets girl. They pretend to hate each other until they finally admit they like each other, and just when things are finally going well between them, bam! Some interloper upsets the applecart, and it takes the rest of the story to put things back on the track they were heading down to begin with. It's a formula, and I hate formulas. Your editor should subscribe to one of the passion channels and leave your plot structure alone."
Grinning, Rick hands Kate her glass. "That's what I thought. I'm glad you concur. I did outline a character, though. He's a 6 foot tall, ripped, reasonably handsome cop who coaches a basketball team for disadvantaged youth. I called him Shlemming."
"Shlemming? It sounds like trying to clear your throat in the morning. But I like the rest. Is he based on a real person?" Kate flutters her lashes. "Maybe I should meet him. I might change my mind."
"Kate!"
"Oh, Babe, you're an easy mark tonight." Kate reaches up to tug Rick down to the sofa with her. "If you're basing Heat on me, she isn't interested in anyone but Rook. But your version of Lanie might like Shlemming – if you change his name."
Rick shrugs. "It's a thought, but I'm not sure I want him around at all. He wouldn't make Rook look good."
Kate's long fingers wrap around the back of Rick's neck as she pulls him to her for a kiss. "I don't think Rook has anything to worry about."
The buzz from Kate's phone cuts through the bedroom at 4 a.m. Rick struggles in vain against letting the sound penetrate the sweet mantle of contented sleep that enfolded him and Kate the night before. Kate fumbles for her cell and grunts her acknowledgment of the message reaching her ear.
"Body drop?" Rick inquires as she lays the phone on the bedside table.
"There's a body, but it didn't drop," Kate explains. "The Old Man is dead. He died in the prison infirmary about an hour ago."
"Did someone help his final demise along?" Rick wonders.
"There will be an autopsy, but the medical staff at the prison believes he died of natural causes. He just passed away in his sleep."
"Not exactly poetic justice," Rick opines. "Someone who causes that much misery shouldn't just get to go comfortably."
Shoving the covers aside, Kate sits up, her long legs tucked beneath her. "You're right. It isn't fair, but I can finally and officially close the Marlowe Prep Murder now. The killer and her co-conspirator are both gone. It's time to move on."
"Can we get a couple more hours sleep before sallying forth into the archives again?" Rick asks.
Kate brushes love-mussed hair away from his face. "Of course, Babe, but I plan to get down there as soon as I go on shift. I intend to find a cold one that won't involve the feds or any other sources of jurisdictional conflicts. I want a case that you and I can just work on together – perhaps with a little help from the boys if we need it."
"Sounds good," Rick agrees, "but we may have quite a hunt."
Kate straightens her legs and stretches out, facing Rick. "All the more reason to grab some more rest –or whatever– while we can."
"And what exactly do you mean by whatever?" Rick teases, pulling her against him amid tangled sheets.
Kate reaches around him to grab handfuls of firm posterior muscle. "We'll just have to see what comes up."
Somehow how I don't think we're going to get much more rest," Rick murmurs.
Kate rubs herself against his rapidly awakening interest. "Do you really mind?"
His hands reverently trace her familiar curves as he accepts the invitation of her lips. "I don't think I could ever find anything that I'd mind less."
Finis
A/N We can put the Marlowe Prep Murder to bed now, but Rick and Kate have an archive of adventures left to explore in the "Guardian Angel" universe. They'll start again tomorrow with "Evelyn," and yes, her last name is Montgomery, or will be, but no, she is not the victim. Thanks for hanging with me. Love, Sally