Chapter 29

"That wouldn't be a good idea Mac. You know how it would look," AJ responded.

"It might not look good, but if I try and get you home in this weather, in the Vette, I might just accomplish what your unknown assailant attempted this morning!" Mac exclaimed.

"There is that," he chuckled. "But as late as it's getting I'd better call Vicky and cancel our dinner date for this evening."

Putting her hand on his arm as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone, she withdrew it just as quickly when he looked at her hand then her with a raised eyebrow, "I'm sorry," she muttered, but continued on with what she'd been going to say in the first place, "When you're talking to her Sir, pay special attention to if she's surprised to hear from you. If it is Vicky trying to kill you…" Mac trailed off.

"If it's her then she won't be expecting to hear from me. But you need to consider this, if she was planning on killing me this morning, why would she have made a date with me for tonight?" he asked while inwardly sighing at how quickly he'd gone back to being 'Sir'.

"To avoid arousing suspicion?"

"Why not just tell me she had plans or didn't want to see me?" he countered.

"I don't know, but please listen to her voice?"

With a nod he agreed and hit Vicky's number on his speed dial.

Picking up the ringing phone, Vicky saw AJ's number on the caller ID. With a muttered curse she answered the call, "Hello."

AJ heard anger in Vicky's voice, not the surprise that Mac had suggested he listen for. Relived that Mac had been wrong, he wondered why Vicky was mad. "Hello Vicky, I'm sorry to be once again calling to cancel our plans, but with the weather what it is, I'm sure most places will be closed and the roads are too treacherous to drive on."

"I know! I have been listening to the news most of the day and there have been so many accidents! I'm so glad that you are home and safe. We can go out when the weather is better."

"Actually I'm not home. I had a bit of car trouble and am at a friend's house. I'm hoping that if the weather is better we could go out tomorrow evening instead?"

"That friend isn't that female Colonel that you've been spending so much time with lately, would it?" she demanded.

"Yes, I'm at Mac's. We were leaving the cemetery when I had problems with the Escalade and it was so bad out, I couldn't get home."

"The weather hasn't let up any at all…are you planning to spend the night there with her?!"

"I don't see that I have much choice Vicky. As you say the weather is atrocious and it would be dangerous for either of us to be out in it. I'm sorry that you feel you can't trust me. I have told you before that Mac is a friend, actually more like family to me, you have nothing to fear in that regard."

"It's not you that I don't trust! It's her! I've seen the way she looks at you, and there is lust in her eyes!"

"Vicky, we're colleagues and nothing could be farther from the truth! Maybe when you get to know her and the others that I work with better, you'll see the close relationship that we all have. The Roberts' even named their son after me because I delivered him in my office."

'But you're not staying with the Roberts'!' Vicky thought, but all she said was, "Alright AJ, I'll hope that the weather is better so we can see each other tomorrow evening."

Hanging up AJ turned to see Mac watching him. "She was upset that I had to cancel our dinner plans again, but not surprised to hear from me," he reported.

"Does she have a cell phone AJ?" Mac asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Because your number would have shown on the face of the phone as she answered it. That would have given away the element of surprise, I didn't think of that before."

"So, you still suspect her?"

To be continued…..