“I’m going to be taking a few days off.” She began.  “I know you’ve been wondering what’s been going on this week.  So, here goes.  While I was at the movies Saturday night, I discovered a dead man.”  Despite the look of confusion and alarm on her administrative assistant’s face, Lane continued.  “The man was murdered.  Mick McGuire is the homicide detective investigating the case.”

Meg nodded.  “I see, you were a witness and you’re just helping tall dark and handsome with a murder investigation.”

Lane smiled.  “Well, not exactly.  It turns out that I have a connection albeit tenuous with the deceased.  So, I’m not helping Mick so much as I’m his prime suspect.”

Meg audibly gasped and quickly put her hand over her mouth as she began shaking her head back and forth.  After a few moments, during which she’d processed the information, Meg placed her hands on the table and began laughing.  “You’re joking, right?  This is some cock-a-mammy story you’ve concocted for the counselor, to explain why you’ve been spending so much time with Mick, right?”

Lane reached over and patted Meg’s hand.  “If only, but the sad fact of the matter is that it’s the truth.  I just spoke with Al, and I’m going to be taking a few days away from the office.”

Before Lane could continue, Meg jumped in.  “Al can’t possibly think you killed some stranger.”

“No, Al doesn’t think I did it.  But, he does know me, and I need some time so I can figure out for myself what’s going on.”

Lane stood up and got two Diet Dr. Peppers from her mini fridge.  She handed one to Meg.  “I’ll be here today long enough to wrap up my meeting with Craig and to talk to Bob.  I know you’re the perfect picture of discretion, so I’m not going to say anything silly like ‘don’t breathe a word of this’.  It’s just that I haven’t spoken to my kids about this, so if they call, just tell them I’m taking a few days off.”

Meg knew that Jess was at UCLA and that Jake and Jamie had gone to visit their dad in Omaha.  She nodded.  “I guess this explains the headaches this week.  I’m not sure it really explains lunch with tall, dark, and handsome three days in a row though.”

Lane looked at her watch and made an exasperated groan.  “McGuire.  I’m late again.”  She grabbed her purse.

As Lane headed toward the door, Meg said, “So, do you want me to schedule the meeting with Bob?”

Lane turned and winked.  “You really are a God send.  Make it for three o’clock.”

Chapter 7

Irish Stew

Lane rushed into the parking garage and clicked the remote to unlock her car.  She shook her head a bit.  She had no idea why she’d left the top down and locked the doors.  She started the car and looked at the clock.  She had ten minutes to make it from Corporate Woods through the lunchtime traffic zoo.  There was no way on God’s green earth.

She pulled into Kennedy’s parking lot at eleven-thirty-five.  Mick stood just inside the door and watched as she approached. He shook his head slightly.  Once again, he wondered if she was ever on time for anything.  He held the door open for her.  She pulled off her green Foster Grant sunglasses, flashed a million dollar smile, lowered her head a bit, and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

“Late again.  I apologize. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”  She said as she touched his arm.

Minutes, hours, weeks, months, years.  Maybe in fact he’d been waiting his whole life for her.  He shook his head wondering where that had come from.  “Not long.”

The hostess seated them and gave them menus.  The waitress came by and took drink orders.

“So, to what do I owe the honor of three lunches in a row?”

The waitress brought the iced teas, told them the special, and said she’d give them some time to look over the menus.

Mick smiled and touched her hand.  He hadn’t noticed before how soft her hands were.  “Today is completely unofficial.  I just wanted to make sure you were okay.  And, I wanted to warn you that we’re probably going to talk officially again.  I cut it short yesterday because I thought I recognized signs that your headache was coming back.”

Why did he have this nearly overwhelming urge to take care of her?  She was, after all, an adult.  And, she was apparently dating Bellini who was one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the city.  She didn’t need Michael Patrick McGuire to take care of her.

“I’m fine.  It’s so nice of you to be concerned,” she said and flashed that smile again.  “I am going to take some time away from work though.  I think it’ll help with the stress level.”

She noticed he was wearing his glasses again.  What was it he’d said yesterday?  He usually wore contacts, but Saturday had been a long week.  Lane was a news junkie and she hadn’t seen, heard, or read anything big going on in suburban KC.  She wondered why he was wearing his glasses.

“I have a couple of meetings this afternoon, some things I need to wrap up.  Don’t worry, officer.  I have no intention of leaving town.”

“I told you this is unofficial.” God, was she flirting with him?  He shook his head; he had to be imagining it.

The waitress came back.  They both ordered the Irish stew.

The conversation he’d had yesterday with Lt. Franklin flashed through Mick’s mind. He shook his head and told himself that his protective feelings for Lane were because of his longtime friendship with Ben.  Yet, his hand still rested on hers.

He hadn’t dated much in the four years that had passed since Gloria died.  When friends had tried to fix him up, he’d say he was too busy with work.  The truth was that he didn’t think he was up to dating in the 21st century.

~~~~~

Mick and Gloria had grown up together.  Gloria was two years younger than Mick was and for a long time she was nothing but his kid sister’s best friend.  When he left for college, she was a knock-kneed kid with glasses, braces, and pigtails.  But, the summer he finished his freshman year, something happened.  He answered the door and there she stood, with a knock out figure stuffed into a red bikini top and daisy duke shorts, wearing contacts behind her sunglasses, her blond hair hanging loosely just below her shoulders, dangling a set of car keys and asking if his kid sister was home.  Luckily, for him, his sister breezed by him and went out the door.  Gloria turned around, pulled her sunglasses down her nose, and winked at him.  “Welcome home, Mickey.” She’d said as she turned and walked toward her car.  He didn’t know how long he stood there holding onto the doorknob, but he was hooked.  They got married just two weeks after she graduated from high school. They were both good Catholic kids who believed that sex was something that should wait until after the wedding.  Although he’d been propositioned his fair share during the years that he and Gloria had been married, he’d never been unfaithful.

~~~~~

The waitress placed their salads in front of them.

“I don’t know why, but I’m absolutely starving,” Lane said as she gently pulled her hand away from Mick and picked up her fork.

Mick knew why she was starving.  Based on his conversation with Ben, she probably hadn’t eaten since the pie she had for lunch the day before.  Lane was uncharacteristically quiet as they ate.  Maybe it was because she was very hungry.  Mick suspected it was because she was worried.

Mick’s phone rang.  “McGuire.”

Lane looked up as Mick held up a finger and then pointed toward the door mouthing that he was going to take the call outside.  It must be official business, she thought.

As he walked toward the door, Mick turned around and watched as Lane sat quietly sipping her tea.

“Ben.  I got some preliminary tests on the screwdriver I found yesterday at Lane’s.  They say there were no fingerprints on it, although I can’t really say that’s good news.  At least not until the lab guys are totally finished with it.  The blood analysis isn’t finished yet.”