Snowfall by Sharon Sala Page B

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    He looked and coveted and hated her for who she was, then moved from room to room, touching her things, moving clothes in her closet, fingering the toothbrush she used. Like a male animal in new territory, he was putting his mark on everything that belonged to Caitlin Bennett.
    It was exhaustion that brought his foray to an end. That and the knowledge that he had to be at work by nine. After a quick sweep of the rooms, discarding one place after another as an option to plant a listening device, he walked back into the living room, looked up at the chandelier and smiled.
    Using a kitchen chair and two phone books for a ladder, he climbed up on the stack and dropped a small, translucent bug into the bowl of one of the lights. He got down, then looked up and started to grin. He knew where it was and still couldn’t see it.
    “Perfect,” he said, then put back the chair and replaced the phone books.
    It took a little longer to get out than it had to come in, but he did it without leaving a mark on the walls. With careful precision, he replaced the screen over the vent, then crawled out the same way he’d come in.
    Fifteen minutes later, he was on the street.
     
    Trudy handed J.R. a cup of coffee as he walked into the precinct.
    “What’s that for?”
    “Just drink it,” she said. “You’re gonna need it.”
    “Why?”
    “Caitlin Bennett…the woman we figured was jumping at ghosts?”
    “Yeah, what about her?”
    “Someone impersonating a doctor got into her room last night and was scared off by her guard.”
    J.R. set the coffee cup down on his desk. “You’re kidding.”
    “The call was on my desk when I arrived. I’ve just been waiting for you to get here so we could go talk to her.”
    “Damn,” J.R. said, then shifted his thoughts. “But then, there’s another way of looking at this. If someone saw him, maybe this is the break we needed.”
    “Yeah, maybe.”
    “So, let’s go to the hospital and see what she has to say.”
    “I called,” Trudy said. “She’s no longer there. She checked out this morning and went home. This time we talk on her territory.”
    “As long as we get the job done, right?”
    Trudy grinned. “I’m thinking it’s not going to break your heart to see her again, either.”
    “Just what are you getting at?”
    “Oh, nothing,” she said, ignoring the frown on his face. “It’s just that you seemed rather taken with her before, and I thought—”
    “You’re a good partner and a good detective, Kowalksi, but you’re also a female, which means you think too much. Save it and let’s get going.”
    Trudy took a last drink of her coffee and set the cup on her desk. “Right behind you.”
     
    Kenny Leibowitz stalked into the lobby of Caitlin’s apartment building and leaned over the desk, eyeing the security guard.
    “I need to see Caitlin Bennett.”
    Mike Mazurka looked up. “Is she expecting you?”
    “No, but she’ll see me. Just ring the penthouse, please.”
    Mike frowned. “She just got home from the hospital, and she don’t look too good.”
    Kenny hit the counter with his fist. “I’m her publicist. Ring the damned penthouse.”
    Mike frowned as he buzzed the penthouse. He knew who Leibowitz was, and he didn’t like him, but he accepted the fact that it was none of his business. A few seconds later, his call was answered.
    “Bennett residence.”
    “Mr. Workman, Mr. Leibowitz to see Miss Bennett.”
    Aaron mouthed the word Kenny to Caitlin. When she rolled her eyes, he covered the phone.
    “I can get rid of him.”
    She shook her head. “No, let him come up. The sooner I get this over with, the better off I’ll feel.”
    “Send him up,” Aaron said.
    Mike hung up the phone and then nodded to Kenny, who immediately strode toward the elevator that went directly to the penthouse. Without a key card, he had to wait for Mike to use the console at his desk to send him up. When the doors closed, he turned to the mirrored panels, admiring his