From the Heart

time to register that she’d seen the stance he’d taken with the gun on a hundred television police shows. Then the trembling started. “I couldn’t. Is he gone?”
    “Looks that way.” Seizing her hand, Slade dragged her into the parlor. “Stay in here. I’m going to check outside.”
    Jessica sank into a chair and waited. It was dark; the thin, shifting moonlight tossed wavering shadows around the room. Defensively, she curled her feet under her and cupped her elbows with her hands. Fear, she realized, was something she’d rarely dealt with. She wasn’t doing a good job of it now. Shutting her eyes a moment, Jessica forced herself to take deep, even breaths.
    As the shuddering calmed, her thoughts began to focus. What was a writer doing with a revolver? Why hadn’t he called the police? A suspicion rose out of nowhere and she shook it off. No, that was ridiculous . . . . Wasn’t it?
    When Slade returned to the parlor ten minutes later, she hadn’t moved from the chair.
    With a flick of the wrist, he hit the switch, flooding the room with light. “Nothing,” he said shortly though she hadn’t spoken. “There’s no sign of anyone, or any sign of a break-in.”
    “I saw someone,” she began indignantly.
    “I didn’t say you didn’t.” Then he was gone again, leaving her next retort sputtering on her lips. He came back without the gun. “What did you see?” As he asked he began a more careful search of the room.
    Brows drawn together, she watched his practiced movements. “The parlor doors were closed. When I opened them, a light hit my eyes. A flashlight. I didn’t see anything.”
    “Anything out of place in here?”
    She continued to watch his deft, professional search as he roamed around the room. No, the suspicion wasn’t ridiculous, she realized as her stomach tightened. It was all too pat. He’s done this before. He’s used that gun before.
    “Who are you?”
    He heard the chill in her voice as he crouched in front of the liquor cabinet. None of the crystal had been disturbed. He didn’t turn. “You know who I am, Jess.”
    “You’re not a writer.”
    “Yes, I am.”
    “What is it?” she asked flatly. “Sergeant? Lieutenant?”
    He took the brandy decanter and poured liquor into a snifter. His brain was perfectly cool. He walked to her and held out the glass. “Sergeant. Drink this.”
    Her eyes stayed level on his. “Go to hell.”
    With a shrug, Slade set the snifter beside her. A deadly calm washed over her, dulling the sting of betrayal. “I want you out of my house. But before you leave,” Jessica said quietly, “I want you to tell me why you came. Uncle Charlie did send you, didn’t he? Orders from the commissioner?” The last sentence was full of carefully calculated disgust.
    Slade said nothing, debating just how much he’d have to tell her to satisfy her. She was pale, but not with fear now. She was spitting mad.
    “Fine.” Keeping her eyes on his, she rose. “Then I’ll call your commissioner myself. You can pack your typewriter and your gun, Sergeant.”
    She was going to have to have it all, he decided and wished fleetingly for a cigarette. “Sit down, Jess.” When she made no move to obey, he gave her a helpful shove back into the chair. “Just shut up and listen,” he suggested as she opened her mouth to yell at him. “Your shop’s suspected in connection with a major smuggling operation. It’s believed that stolen goods are hidden in some of your imports, then transferred to a contact on this side, probably through the sale of the whole article.” She wasn’t attempting to speak now, but simply staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Interpol wants the head man rather than the few underlings already under observation. He’s managed to slip away from them before; they don’t want it to happen again. You, your shop, the people who work for you, are under observation until he’s in custody or the investigation leads elsewhere. In the meantime the commissioner wants you safe.”
    “I don’t believe a word of it.”
    But her voice shook. Slade thrust his hands in his pockets. “My information as well as my orders come from the commissioner.”
    “It’s ridiculous.” Her voice was stronger now, touched with scorn. “Do you think something like that could go on in my shop without my knowing about it?” Even as she reached for the brandy, she caught the look in his eyes. Jessica’s hand froze on the glass, then dropped