“Is Mr. Lawrence in?”
“I’m sorry, he’s occupied at the moment,” said the salesman in smooth tones. “May I help you with something?”
“No.” Jack took out his ID and flipped it open. “Mr. Lawrence. Now. And you’ll need to sit in, too.”
The salesman took the ID and studied it, then coolly returned it. “Chief of police of the Hillsboro Police Department,” he said sarcastically. “Impressive.”
“Not as impressive as a broken arm, but what the hell, I’ll go with what works.”
An unwilling smile touched the salesman’s mouth. “Tough, too.” He shifted his balance just a little, but the subtle changes in his stance made Jack’s eyes sharpen.
“Salesman, my ass,” he muttered. “This is about Daisy Minor.”
There was another change in expression, a sort of rueful resignation. The salesman sighed and said, “Oh, hell. Todd’s in his office.”
Todd looked up when Jack and the salesman entered the small private office. His eyebrows rose as he recognized Jack, and he gave the other man a swift questioning glance before shifting into pleasant-businessman mode, rising to his feet and extending his hand. “Chief Russo, isn’t it? The cap threw me off for a minute.” He looked quizzically at the green cap with the yellow John Deere logo. “How . . . retro.”
Jack shook his hand and said amiably, “How full of bullshit. Why don’t we all sit down, and you and the martial arts salesman here can tell me how I’m jumping to all the wrong conclusions, that you aren’t sending Daisy around to certain targeted nightclubs and bars, and that Bruce Lee really isn’t shadowing her to—what? Catch her doing something illegal? Not likely.”
“Howard,” said the salesman, grinning. “Not Bruce.”
Todd steepled his fingers and tapped them against his lips, watching Jack. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Fine.” Jack didn’t have time to bullshit around. “Then let’s talk about what possible reason a straight man could have for trying to convince everyone he’s gay, and what would happen if I blew his cover.”
Todd gave a light laugh. “You really are reaching now, Chief.”
“Am I? You know, when I first moved here, I rambled around a lot, learning the roads and the country, so I was in a lot of places where normally you wouldn’t expect to see Hillsboro’s chief. I was also paying a lot of attention to Hillsboro’s citizens, asking who people were and learning their faces, so I knew you by sight.”
“Your point?”
“My point is, if you’re posing as gay, when you check into a motel with a woman, you shouldn’t enter the room at the same time, and you really shouldn’t try to suck her tonsils out while you’re still trying to get the key card in the lock. Plays hell with the image. Want me to describe her?”
“Yes,” said Howard, fascinated.
“Never mind,” Todd said, his face suddenly impassive. “You get around to some out-of-the-way places, Chief.”
“Don’t I?” Jack agreed. “Let’s get back to my original question: What in hell are you doing with Daisy?”
“I can tell you what I’m doing,” said Howard. “I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t get hurt in any way. The nightclub scene can be rough on women.”
“Then why send her there? It’s like sending a kitten into a bear cage.”
“You make her sound totally helpless. She’s an intelligent, observant woman who just wants to dance and meet men.”
“Given what’s out there in the bar scene these days, even intelligent women are ending up raped, maybe just by one man, maybe by all of his buddies, too—and that’s if she’s lucky and doesn’t die. Did you warn Daisy about letting anyone buy her a drink? Or leaving a drink sitting on the table while she dances?”
Howard sighed. “That’s where I come in. I keep an eye on her, watch to see if anyone salts her drink with something.”
“So she’s never out of your sight, right? “You never go to the bathroom, or lose sight of her in the crowd.”
“I do the best I can.”
“Best isn’t good enough, not when you’re using her as some kind of shark bait.” He leveled a hard stare at Todd. “So let’s start hearing some details, and they’d better be good or you’re outted.”
Todd rubbed his jaw. “That threat usually works in reverse.”
Jack merely waited. He had stated his intentions, and where Daisy was concerned, he didn’t back down or negotiate. Her safety was too important.
Todd studied Jack’s expression, evidently reading his determination. “It’s personal, the reason I’ve been... working with Daisy.”
Jack said softly, “I’m taking the whole thing personally.”
“So she got to you, huh?” Todd smiled. “I knew, with just a little sprucing up, she’d turn heads. All she needed was a boost in her self-confidence. She’s so damned charming, with that sparkle in her eyes like a kid on a roller coaster, I figured all she needed was more flattering clothes to really pull in the men.”
“Let’s get to the facts,” Jack growled.
“Okay, in a nutshell: A friend of mine went to the Buffalo Club with a couple of friends. She was bummed out, not in the mood for dancing. While her friends were dancing, a guy came on to her, offered to buy her a drink. Because she was bummed out, she let him. The last thing she remembered is getting sleepy. She woke up the next morning in her own bed, naked, alone, and it was obvious something had happened. She’d been raped and sodomized. She did the smart thing, didn’t shower, called the cops, went to the hospital.