Hot Stuff by Don Bruns Page B

but sure of herself.
    â€œYeah. The guy walked into it. We cannot be accountable for that, right?”
    â€œIt happened that way. We had no idea who he was.” I was in total agreement. We had our defense all ready for the trial.
    â€œSo we call 911? We tell them there’s been an accident, and—”
    â€œRight after we called and said we were being attacked?” James said.
    â€œRight after we thought we were being attacked, James.”
    â€œWhat happened?” The voice was shaky and weak.
    I swung the light back to the horizontal body, and his eyes were open. A puzzled expression on his face, the prone figure lifted his arm and felt his chest, searching for the pistol in his holster.
    â€œWhat the hell happened?”
    â€œJames,” Em pointed to my best friend, “James was getting out of the truck and it so happened you were walking by at the exact same time, and—”
    He struggled to sit up. “That the way you remember it?” The cop looked at me as he worked himself into a sitting position.
    â€œExactly.”
    He nodded, still touching his chest and stomach.
    â€œWhere’s my badge?”
    James leaned down and handed him the shiny gold metal. “We were just doing an ID check,” he said. “We didn’t know who you were and we just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”
    Sitting on the blacktop, the man pointed at Em.
    â€œYou’re Emily Minard.”
    The light was dim, the moon and a lamp from the rear of the restaurant throwing shadows on the property. The cop appeared to be in his forties, hair slightly gray. I was pretty sure I’d never seen him before, but he seemed pretty confident in his identification of Em.
    â€œDo we know each other?” Em was studying him, and I flashed the light back on his face.
    â€œWe do,” the man slipped the badge into his shirt pocket. “Get the damned light out of my face.”
    I did.
    â€œAnd you’re eventually going to tell me what our relationshipwas?” Em’s voice projected her irritation. A minute ago she was worried the man might die and now she was upset about his gamesmanship.
    â€œI arrested you about nine years ago.”
    There was no response. There was no sound. James and I had nothing to add and Em was stunned. So this was back when her world was collapsing around her. I’d never heard the story.
    The detective pushed himself off the black pavement and staggered to Em’s Jaguar. Putting his right hand on the shiny black metal, he rested for a moment.
    â€œThe diamond theft. From Kahn’s Jewelers. The one your friend eventually confessed to.”
    No sound. Em said nothing.
    â€œYou walked on that one.”
    â€œSo did my friend, Detective Conway. Amanda Wright walked on that case too. The case ended up with no conviction. Do you remember that? You didn’t have a lot of luck with that case, did you, Detective?”
    This time it was the detective who said nothing.
    â€œDid you ever find the robber? Ever figure out where the ring went? I don’t recall ever hearing that you solved that case. You just put two people through a lot of stress.”
    â€œNo, we never found the perp.” Leaning on the new car, he gingerly rubbed the back of his head.
    â€œSorry about that,” James said. “Really, I was just getting out of the truck when you walked by and—”
    The detective ignored him.
    â€œWe had a pretty good idea. We still think we know who lifted the ring.” He sounded sullen.
    â€œStatute of limitations run out on that?” Em was goading him.
    â€œFive years, Miss Minard. If you did it, you’re off the hook. However, I was looking you up for another reason.”
    She nervously ran her hand through her blonde tresses.
    â€œYou looked me up in the parking lot of a restaurant at this hour of the night? For God’s sake, what for?”
    â€œWhat for? Because I’m now