take months. The Monte Carlo cannot function without a purchasing agent for months.” Nicole was sick about this and couldn’t pretend otherwise.
The older man sighed. “I know it can’t.”
Nicole felt a shiver go up her spine. There were other aspects of the situation that scared her witless. “I’ll be completely alone in a strange place. You two might not understand this, but the idea of living where I won’t know a soul is terrifying. I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I’ve never lived anywhere else.”
“You won’t be alone,” John said softly.
Nicole’s left eyebrow shot up. “I won’t? Who would be going with me?”
“We’re working that out, but he’ll be a police officer.”
“He? Why not a woman?”
“It might be a woman. Nothing’s set yet. Don’t worry. Whoever picks you up tonight will be well qualified to protect you.”
Rubbing her arms as though chilled, Nicole went to look out the window. “This is a nightmare.”
John was instantly at her side and pulling her back. “Please. Don’t go near the windows.”
Nicole gave up. Her legs were weak, her stomach churning. The thought of leaving everything familiar was horrible. It wasn’t fair that only doing what she’d felt was any citizen’s duty should result in this. But if she took a stand and refused, what then? The men she’d seen had, according to the police, already killed two people. Would killing one more bother them? Especially if that person’s testimony could convict them of murder?
“I’ll be ready tonight,” she said numbly. “Can you tell me where I’ll be going?”
John shook his head with a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. I don’t know that myself.”
“Well, Tuck,” Captain Joe Crawford said when Tuck walked into his office. “How’re you doing? Sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks.” Tuck took a seat.
“Feeling all right?”
“Not bad. I got a call to come in and see you.” When Tuck had started out with the department, Joe Crawford had been his sergeant. They had eleven years of common ground and a good, solid relationship. “What’s going on, Joe?”
“Your suspension’s been lifted.”
Tuck nodded. “That’s good.” It was a lie. He wasn’t ready to go back to work and wasn’t sure if he ever would be. “Joe, I’ve been thinking about taking my accumulated vacation time and sick leave. It adds up to about six weeks.”
Joe regarded him across the wide desk between them. “Need a little more time off, eh? Well, that’s not a bad idea, Tuck. You had a rough go of it. Went through it myself once.”
“Yeah, I know.” Tuck leaned forward. “Joe, how long was it before you got over it?”
Joe sucked in a long, thoughtful breath. “Not sure I ever did. But it does get easier, Tuck.”
Tuck hoped so. He wasn’t sleeping well, or eating much. Those were a couple of facts he’d neglected to mention to Dr. Keaton.
There was a lengthy silence. Tuck lit a cigarette. “Is it okay, then, to use my vacation and sick time?”
“Sure, no problem. By the way, if all you want to do is get out of town for a while, there’s a real cushy job available.”
“What is it?”
“Protecting the witness who can place Nick Lowicki at the exact site of the Buckley murders.”
Tuck’s eyes narrowed. “There’s a witness?”
“A reliable one. An upstanding citizen, Tuck, clean as a whistle.”
“Does Lowicki know?”
“We’re not sure. He didn’t do it alone, Tuck. We think the other man the witness saw was Gil Spencer. Anyway, the witness’s car was parked on the street in plain sight, and Spencer and Lowicki might be lowlifes, but they’re not completely stupid.”
Tuck turned his head and laughed sardonically. “Thought you mentioned a cushy job. Better get my hearing checked.”
Joe leaned forward. “Tuck, it will be cushy. We’re moving the witness to…well, I’ll tell you that if you get involved, but I guarantee you’d like the place. Look, all you’d have to do is keep the witness company. We’re really keeping the lid tight on this one. Only a few of our top people even know there is a witness, even fewer know what we’re planning to do. What do you say? It would be like a vacation with pay, and you wouldn’t use up your accumulated days. Afterward, if you still need more time away from the job, you can take it.”
“Why me?”
Joe cleared his throat while sitting back. “Because you’ve got a perfect excuse to disappear for an extended leave.” Joe hesitated before adding, “And you’re unencumbered, Tuck. There’s no one at home to ask questions.”
It wasn’t at all what he’d thought he might do with his free time. Actually, he didn’t know what he might do, but he sure hadn’t thought of anything like this.
“Can I think about it, Joe?”
Joe shook his head. “There’s no time. The witness will be ready to leave tonight.”
Tuck butted his cigarette, got up and went to a window. He stared out and absently watched traffic. “Can you tell me anything about it?”
“Not unless you agree. No one’s going to know anything unless they’re involved up to their eyeballs. We’re going to nail Lowicki this time, Tuck, but we don’t have a positive ID on the other guy. We need time to box him in, to prove that he was with Lowicki at 1:00 a.m. that night. The prosecutor’s office wants an airtight case before we haul them in. That’s what we’ll work on while you—or someone like you—takes care of the witness.”
Tuck mulled it over. Nick Lowicki was a snake. A drug dealer, a pimp, the sort of man the law enforcement community referred to as street scum. He’d made a bad mistake and there was a witness who could positively finger him. If the D.A. could build a case and put Gil Spencer away at the same time, the streets would be just a little bit cleaner.
“Well, guess I don’t have anything better to do,” Tuck said quietly.
“Then you’ll do it?”
Tuck turned. “I’ll do it. Now, can you fill me in?”
“Tonight, Tuck. Just before you leave. Meet me back here at nine this evening. Have your things with you. I’ll give you a car and some money. You’ll pick up the witness and be out of town before ten.”
Captain Joe Crawford didn’t just hand over a car and some cash that night, he had a whole new ID
