Page 13 of Cyn
Devil and Six followed suit, and the three women set their mugs in the sink.
“I’ll walk you out,” Cyn said, hopping off her stool. She cast him a glance, and he lifted his mug. He still had half a cup left, but more importantly, he had a few things he wanted to ask the lovely Cyn Steele.
She nodded in understanding and herded her friends out, their chatter filling the hallway as they left.
“Do you think Old Joe looked like that twenty years ago?” Nora asked. He was twenty-five years younger than his uncle, but who was counting.
“You should definitely spend a little more time with the new Chief Harris,” Devil said. The teasing licentious tone made him smile.
“I’d make a handcuff joke, but I can’t bring myself to be so cliché,” Six added. “Although…”
“Although he’s definitely more Cyn’s type than yours, Six,” Nora pointed out. He grinned at that. He hadn’t really come to Cos Cob looking for anything other than a change of scenery, but he wasn’t averse to being open to more.
“I don’t know what you are referring to. I don’t have a type,” Cyn said. A beat passed, then howls of laughter filtered down the hall. “Okay, okay,” Cyn said, obviously trying to catch her breath. “I do have a type, and yes, he’s it. But dating a local?”
Their voices were getting fainter and fainter, so Joe rose and walked to the edge of the kitchen. He wasn’t in sight, and he wasn’t all that much closer, but he was close enough to hear the rest of the conversation.
“You know my philosophy. Don’t date them, just sleep with them,” Devil said. Joe frowned.
“I have to admit, as good-looking as he is—and you know he’s capable or Franklin and Old Joe never would have sent him up here—it could get messy if you started something personal and it went south,” Nora said.
“Or they could fall in love, have a dozen babies, and live happily ever after,” Six said. Again, gales of laughter filled the air. “Seriously, though,” Six said once they’d all dropped to an occasional giggle. “I’m not saying you’ll fall in love, but maybe you will? You’re both adults. Date him if he seems interested—”
“He’s interested,” Nora and Devil said at the same time. Joe’s brows dropped. Hemightbe interested. Well, hewasinterested. It would be hard not to be interested in a woman as complex, intelligent, and attractive as Cyn, but he didn’t know if he wasinterestedinterested.
“If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. Maybe you’ll have some fun along the way.” Six finished her thought. He liked the sound of having some fun. Granted, he hadn’t been in town for even two weeks, so maybe he should think about focusing on his job. Then again, Cos Cob was pretty quiet...
He heard the women mumble goodbyes and something about meeting at Abe’s—a local bar he’d already been called to twice—for drinks later. He was retaking his seat when Cyn walked back into the kitchen.
“More coffee?” she asked.
Never one to hesitate, he smiled. “How about dinner tonight, instead?”
Chapter Five
Cyn paused halfwayto the coffee machine. “You heard that conversation, didn’t you?” she said more than asked.
He nodded. “Your friends are right. Iaminterested. Ever since you warned me about Ms. Kozinski. A woman who warns a man about defecating seagulls is bound to pique his interest.”
She smiled at his answer and liked that he didn’t bother lying. But even so... “Can I think about it?”
Again, he nodded.
“So, coffee?” she asked again.
“One more cup would be great,” he said, handing his mug over. “What can you tell me about Meleak?” he asked as she started heating the water in the coffee machine.
She frowned. “A lot, but not much that would explain why he was here or why he hand delivered that package for me.” She rinsed out their mugs, giving her something to do with her hands. He didn’t ask any more questions while she brewed the coffee, and the kitchen was filled only with the sounds of the machine.
“Do you think it was a warning or a message?” he asked when she handed him his fresh cup.
“Yes, but which, I don’t know. Nor do I know what he’d be trying to tell me or what he’d be warning me about if that was his intent.”
“Can you give a physical description of him? I assume I won’t get anything off your video, but it might help as we review the video from Logan Airport from when McElroy’s casket was stolen.”
She gave it some thought. Yes, she knew what Meleak looked like. She’d spent two days locked up with him in a dungeon in Sudan. The problem was he was a master of disguise, and anything she might tell Joe about him probably wouldn’t help. Well, actually, the biggest problem was that Cyn didn’t really want him to get caught. Like she’d said, she didn’t condone his behavior, but a not-so-small part of her liked the wily Robin Hood he was.
“I could, but it will probably take me a while to work with a sketch artist, and I can assure you that by the time I’m done, he’ll be long gone. He’s probably gone already. Are the Army investigators involved?”
