Murder in the Clear Zone Read online

  Bard stopped and folded his arms, looking relaxed, in control. “I can’t believe you found me out. I figured a covetous guy like Janus could believe everyone has a price.”

  Les’s finger twitched on the trigger.

  Paula’s heart thudded in hard throbs. She had to act now or Bard was a dead man.

  She grabbed the first idea that came to mind. Les’ own concept. Control the leader and you control the gang. Les had always wanted her, but after all the times she’d turned him down, playing a sex kitten was a big gamble.

  Horrified visions of rape and then murder flashed through her mind. She blocked them out and quickly rearranged her clothing and tousled her hair to give it a bedroom look. She gulped a deep breath and opened the closet door. “And Bard’s right,” she drawled. “Everyone has a price.”

  “What the hell!” Les said, wrinkling his brow. He shifted his gun from Bard to Paula.

  ****

  Stunned, Bard could only stare at her. With swaying hips tightly encased in Daisy Dukes cutoff jeans, she sauntered slowly out of the closet. Her blouse had several buttons undone, and it was tied under her breasts, pushing them up full and round, exposing her bare midriff. He knew at once what she was up to. She was using her considerable sex appeal to run a bluff. Bard’s heart pounded. Les would never buy it. But he didn’t dare react; all could do was watch.

  ****

  Paula lowered her voice to a sexy purr. “I didn’t survive this long by being inflexible.”

  “Stop right where you are,” Les said.

  Paula paused and swallowed. Les smelled of wine, and his eyes were a little glassy. His drinking could work in her favor or make him even more dangerous. Shivers fluttered in her belly. But she could do this. For Bard, for Charlie.

  “Les, honey, why didn’t you say you were Janus? Didn’t you know I’d dig that?” She flicked her tongue over her lips and pretended it was Bard she was seducing with her mouth, her eyes, her body.

  Les’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell were you doing in that closet?”

  “Getting an earful, darlin’.” She lowered her eyelids a fraction and gazed through her lashes, trying for a sultry look. “Now that I know you’re Janus and what you did for me, killing Charlie and making me a very rich woman, I’m switching canoes, if you get my drift.”

  She slid a slender finger downward over her lips, opening them slightly, hoping to reveal a pouty pinkness. “I would’ve never brushed Janus off. I dig dangerous, powerful men, men with guns, who aren’t afraid to live on the edge.”

  “It’s a trick.” Lopez sneered. “She’s Charlie’s sister. No way would she forgive you for killing him.”

  “Wrong,” Paula said. “Make-believe brothers don’t count. No common blood was spilled.”

  Lopez shook his head. “She’s as crazy as Bard thinking you’d fall for this.”

  “Keep outta it, Lopez,” Les growled. He raked Paula’s body with a hungry gaze. “You’d better not be putting me on, sweetheart.”

  Paula shook her untamed hair. A strand fell over one eye. “Not a chance.” She stepped between Les and Bard. “You wanted me once, Les.” She turned in a slow revolution, showing off her body. “By the hunger in your eyes….” She paused and looked down admiringly. “And that powerful erection pressing against your zipper, I’d say you still do.” She shimmied her shoulders, and laughed low in her throat. “And, sugar plum, now that you’re Janus, you can have me. Power is the ultimate turn-on.”

  “It’s an act,” Lopez said. “She’s playing on your appetite for bad girls.”

  Lust burned in Les’s eyes. “I would think she was playing me, too, but I know this curvy little bundle of fire. She’s no ordinary chick. She’s a killer.”

  Fighting inner tremors, Paula put her arm possessively through Les’s. “Lopez is just sore because I out shot him.”

  Les stroked Paula’s midriff. She didn’t flinch, pretending it was Bard touching her, Bard’s eyes looking into hers.

  Without breaking eye contact, Les lowered his gun and tucked it into his waistband. “Lucky for you I can read people.”

  ****

  The room stilled. A band tightened around Bard’s chest. He wished Paula were at home, on the moon, anywhere but here.

  The men waited with bloodthirsty eyes for Janus’s next move as though he were only playing with his prey before the kill. Paula circled Les, trailing long, slender fingers over his wide shoulders. She had a reckless provocative walk in those Daisy Dukes that was far too sexy, far too dangerous.

  Could this woman be his Paula? A tough sexuality flowed from her, dominating, controlling. Suddenly, by mesmerizing Les, she had in effect taken over the gang. They stared at her as if spellbound. All except Lopez.

  He ordered Bard to put his hands behind his back and bound his wrists tightly, sending a trail of pain up Bard’s arm. Paula showed no emotion.

  I don’t buy this dangerous woman crap,” Lopez grumbled. “Give me five minutes with this chick and I’ll show you who she really is. Deeter told me the rumors about her. So she killed her foster papa when she was a teenager; he probably had it coming.”

  Paula gave Lopez a conspiratorial wink. “Lopez’s right.” Paula’s voice was steely, yet throatily seductive. “It was no big deal.”

  Bard’s stomach knotted. She was playing up to Lopez. But her words didn’t track. She hadn’t killed Frank. Charlie had. He’d admitted it in his letter. Did he lie to protect Paula?

  Wait, Bard thought. He knew Paula better than that. Or did he know her at all? Doubt coiled through him, twisting his heart.

  Les laughed and looked down at Paula. “You got credit for Dan, his grandma, and Charlie. But it was me.”

  Paula laughed, too. “Well, thanks for deep-sixing all of them. My assets soared with every funeral.” Her voice was as cold as blue ice.

  “Stick with me and you’ll be even richer.” Les wrapped his arm around her. She leaned closer to him, pressing her thigh against his.

  Sweat broke out above Bard’s upper lip. Paula was too damned good at this to be acting.

  Les darted a sharp look at his men. “What are you guys standing around for? Get to work.”

  They grabbed tools and hustled away.

  Paula looked up at Les and stroked his biceps. “To think I thought you were just a poor sap house-mover, a construction jockey. But you’re a clever, forceful leader.”

  Les grinned down at her with desire in his gaze. “About time you realized it, sweetheart. I’ll tell you a little secret. I planned something between us from the beginning.”

  Paula laughed. “No kidding?” Her sarcastic tone revealed a previous relationship with Les, and that his confession wasn’t entirely news.

  “Unfortunately,” Les said, “my plans got complicated. I gave Dan knockout drops and snuffed out Grandma Emma. Dan was supposed to be the fall guy, but jail wasn’t permanent enough. I wanted him gone for good.” Les paused for the impact. “I wanted you and money—lots of it. Grandma Emma’s property wasn’t enough. I talked Dan into getting a hefty insurance policy. Even loaned him the cash for the premium.”

  Paula laughed and shook her head. “And the idiot probably thanked you.”

  “Yeah,” Les said, “profusely.”

  Lopez came back in the room and began to pace. “You can’t trust her, man. You heard the recording. She did it with Bard.”

  “That was then.” Paula purred. “And this is now.”

  “If she’s a killer, and a muy malla mama, let her shoot Bard,” Lopez said.

  Paula lifted her chin, flashing steely blue eyes. “No problem.”

  Pain exploded inside Bard, sending a hot ache to his gut. He knew Paula was acting. She had to be. His life depended on it.

  “But Les, honey, shouldn’t we strip this place first? I know your gun is equipped with a silencer and no one would hear, but why waste bullets? A fire would be cleaner. I mean we have three bodies to dispose of. Still, if you want….” Paula’s right
hand inched over Les’s stomach, her fingers seductively tracing his flat abdomen as she reached for his gun.

  Les grabbed her wrist. “Hold it.”

  Paula froze, but her face showed no emotion.

  “Paula’s right,” Les said. “No shooting. After we strip the place, we’ll torch it.”

  Lopez’s eyes lit up like a crazed firebug. “Si. Fuego. I like it. Un poco cremation party with Bard and his two amigos as the guests of honor.”

  One of the bikers returned to the room and gestured to the living room wall heater. “Lopez, how about giving me a hand with this?”

  Lopez grabbed his tools and joined him.

  While trying in vain to work free of the ropes cutting into his wrists, Bard tried to catch Paula’s eye, but she was too busy flirting.

  Les patted Paula’s fanny. “Be right back, baby. I gotta see if my men have the hot water heater and bathroom fixtures detached and ready for removal.”

  Paula flashed a smile and sauntered over to the open window and sat on the sill. She struck a leggy pose. Moonlight, lamplight, and shadows caressed every curve.

  Bard hated his body’s reaction to her. Which was the act, their lovemaking or this seduction of Janus?

  ****

  Reed sped toward the clear zone. He passed through Colton and beyond the freeway interchange-hub at the edge of San Bernardino. The AICUZ project was a federal undertaking that allowed him to bring in a SWAT team, and he took advantage of the extra support to ensure Bard’s safety. He punched the keys of his car telephone with one hand and then put the unit on speaker-audio.

  “Mark, what’s going on there?” Reed asked. “I can’t get through to Tom or Laird.”

  “Not sure,” the team leader said. “Been waiting for their signal to close in.”

  Reed clutched the steering wheel tighter. “Can you see their van?”

  “No. Laird’s plan was to hole up in the abandoned garage across the street from the Wootson house. We’ve got our van in an empty garage a block away.”

  “Get closer on foot,” Reed said.

  ****

  Mark ordered his men into action. Under the cover of darkness and shrubs, the team stealthily crept toward the darkened house.

  He saw a glint of metal. Men with guns, shovels, and baseball bats were hiding in the bushes surrounding the place.

  What the hell? Mark grabbed his cell phone and called Reed. “Something crazy is happening! There’s a swarm of armed civilians out here. And we can’t move in with them in the way.”

  ****

  With clenched jaw, Bard watched Les strut over to the window and join Paula. While Les was busy kissing and nuzzling Paula’s neck, she lifted her police whistle from its hiding place nestled between her breasts and blew an earsplitting trill.

  Then everything happened at once: Les covered his left ear with his hand. Paula yanked the gun from his waistband and shoved him away. He lunged for her. She fired. Blood spurted from his shoulder. Les’s gang ran into the room, weapons ready. Ray Whitney and another neighbor charged out of the closet with guns raised, shouting freeze. The front and back doors crashed in and men with guns and shovels poured into the room. Window glass shattered throughout the house and men climbed through cleared openings and raced forward, closing the human net and surrounding Les and his stunned gang.

  Bard struggled to process and comprehend the simultaneous events. Apparently Ray and the other guy had come down through the roof into the attic crawl space, and down into the closet. Bard let out a gush of air. What could have been a bloodbath had been amazingly avoided by precision timing.

  He felt someone untie his hands, then Paula was in his arms.

  ****

  Light flooded the front yard of the Wootson house, coming from bright head beams and the high-powered lamps mounted on top of the SWAT vans. Bard watched the leader shove Les roughly toward the rear of the lockup van.

  Les shackled in handcuffs and blood dripping from his shoulder, paused and glared at Paula. “You’re dead, bitch.”

  Paula lifted her chin. When she trembled against Bard, he knew her fearlessness was another act. He stepped from behind her and put his arm protectively around her shoulders.

  Chief Reed skidded into the parking space behind the vans and hurried across the lawn and joined them. Reed glared at the milling crowd of civilians carrying rifles, shovels, and pickaxes. “What the hell’s going on here? Who are all these people?”

  “Heroes,” Paula said. “The brave people who live here in the clear zone.”

  Reed frowned at Bard. “What’s she doing here?”

  “She saved my hide. Without her I’d be dead.” Bard glanced down at Paula. He felt pride, gratitude, love, and disturbingly off balance.

  Reed scowled. “Anyone get hurt?”

  “Paula winged Les Cardel. Turned out he’s Janus.” Bard’s hold on Paula’s shoulder tightened, drawing her closer. “Tom and Laird have gashes, bruises, maybe a few broken bones. An ambulance’s on the way.”

  Voices rose, and like a herd of elephants, the neighborhood brigade led by Ray closed ranks around Reed.

  “You’re Reed, the head guy, right?” Ray asked.

  Reed gave a grim nod.

  “We came to make sure Paula isn’t in any trouble,” Ray said.

  Reed curled his fingers into a fist and made a low growl deep in his throat. “I haven’t debriefed my men, yet. But based on Bard’s brief explanation I’d guess no one’s in any trouble except Les and his gang.”

  “Good,” Ray said. “Tonight we paid Paula back a little. But she deserves more.”

  Reed shifted his weight, his expression growing darker by the moment. “We can talk about this later. After—”

  “We need this settled now.” Ray folded his arms. “Paula risked her life to save our neighborhood. From the start she’s been there for us. She should get recognition and some kind of commendation for fighting for her neighbors. She saved not only property, but lives.”

  Shouts of “right on” came from the group that seemed to be growing larger, and louder.

  Bard could see the wheels turning in Reed’s head. He could either agree or antagonize these people, which with the project not completed, wouldn’t be wise. Reed cleared his throat and grudgingly assured everyone that Paula would get proper recognition. “We’re all very proud of Mrs. Lord,” he added, sounding tired.

  Bard laughed to himself. It was ironic. Reed promised some kind of commendation for Paula when only hours ago Cory had served her with a restraining order and ordered her to stay out of the clear zone. If she’d obeyed, Bard knew he’d be dead.

  As Ray and the others praised Paula, she looked down at her sandaled feet as if the whole heroine thing embarrassed her. Bard wanted to tell her she deserved all the praise and more, but he’d wait until they were alone.

  Reed said all the politically correct things then wearily asked the group to clear the area so he could finish debriefing his men. After the brigade dispersed, Reed turned to Bard. “Stay put,” he said, jabbing his index finger downward for emphasis. “I’ll talk with Mark, and check on Tom and Laird then I want all the details.”

  “Let’s talk at my office,” Bard said. It was only a couple of blocks away, and he wanted to get Paula some place quiet where she could recover from her ordeal. “We can unwind and have a cup of coffee.”

  Reed nodded curtly. “Before I get there, drum up a better explanation of why the hell she’s here after I ordered you to keep her out of it!”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Fifteen minutes later, Bard stifled a grin as Chief Reed glared at the no-smoking sign and fiercely ground out his cigar in a paper cup. Of course, Bard knew Reed’s displeasure wasn’t about the sign. It was because Bard had disobeyed an order.

  Bard gestured to the leather chair in front of his desk. Reed plunked down and set his jaw like granite. Bard poured steaming cups of coffee for the three of them.

  Paula sat by the window staring into th
e darkness. Her hand trembled as she took her cup. A rush of tenderness washed over him. Damn, how he longed to take her in his arms. When he merely squeezed her shoulder, she glanced up and sent him a faint smile. She’d been through a helluva night. For her sake, he’d make this the shortest meeting in history.

  Reed cleared his throat as though sensing the vibes electrifying the air. “Okay let’s get on with this. Tom and Laird filled me in on most of the story.”

  Bard sat down on the edge of his desk. “Good. Saves time.”

  “Why did you go against orders and bring Mrs. Lord into this?” Bard’s gut tightened at the quick jab to his senses.

  Before he could decide what to say, Paula jumped in. “I threatened to blow his cover. And to keep him alive, I would have. I didn’t want to lose him, too.”

  Reed ran his index finger around the curve of the chair arm. “How did you learn what Bard was doing?”

  “By accident. I took a sentimental swing by my old house. Things didn’t seem right. I looked in the window and saw him with the looters. Later, I figured it out.”

  Reed leveled a hard look at Bard. “Explain the vigilantes. There were men with shovels, axes, and baseball bats, for God’s sake.”

  “That was my doing, too,” Paula said.

  Bard saw the exasperation building in Reed, thinning his lips, tightening his jaw.

  Reed shook his head. “Bad business, Bard, getting civilians involved, unorthodox and risky as hell.”

  Bard recoiled at the disappointment in Reed’s voice, but shook off the affects. “If Paula’s neighborhood brigade hadn’t rushed in when they did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  A glimmer of pride flickered in Paula’s eyes, the look of a general whose troops had just won a war. “They charged in right on cue.” Paula’s voice cracked with emotion and the reverberation burrowed itself deep in Bard’s heart.

  “The rescue team wouldn’t have gotten to us in time,” Bard said.

  Reed frowned. “They might’ve if they hadn’t had to trip over civilians.”

  “Trust me, time had run out. If it had gone down any other way, I’d be dead.”

  Reed spun Bard’s crystal paperweight, sending sparkling diamonds of brightness dancing around the room. “I hear Ms. Lord put on quite an act.”