Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

wait to order." He winced when he watched her stab an artichoke heart with much more force than necessary. "All right. I confess. I was in the middle of an article and I lost track of time. I figured in the time it would take me to call, I could be here."
    She rewarded his honesty with a smile. "You know, I bet with a little practice, we could get pretty good at this truth business."
    He returned her smile and added a wink. "But why is it that I have to pry it out of you, and all you have to do is ignore me?"
    "Probably has something to do with your basic insecurities as a man."
    "If I am so insecure, what am I doing having lunch with a woman known throughout the city for her ability to render a man impotent with no more than a look of disgust?"
    Her smile remained in place. "The average, intelligent man stays away when he is told point blank that the woman is not interested. What does that make you?"
    His laugh made several people turn in their direction. "A sucker for a challenge, I guess." He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "I missed you, Holly."
    She tensed from the unexpected touch, but relaxed the next instant. "I think I missed you, too."
    "You think?" It was the first time he could recall admitting that he missed a woman and her response was hardly flattering.
    "Well, since you seem to like the truth, I'm not entirely sure. The jury's still out."
    "Fair enough. Could I try influencing the outcome by taking you to the symphony tomorrow night?"
    Her first thought was that she would have to come up with a good excuse for not seeing Philip. "Why don't we try getting through an amicable lunch first?"
    For the next hour he filled her in on what had happened in the Keys after she'd gone and she admitted she'd been impressed with his articles in the paper. Her answers to his questions about federal aid for the environment would go into another piece he was working on.
    He had paid the check and they were lingering over a second cup of coffee, when he changed the subject. "I need an unbiased opinion on something."
    "Is it a topic appropriate for discussion in a public place? Wait, let me rephrase that. Would I discuss it in a public place?"
    "You are way too suspicious of my intentions, you know that? It's just a lead that's been dropped in my lap, and I can't decide what to do about it. You've got a good, analytical mind. I thought you might be able to talk it out with me."
    She couldn't believe he was going to make it this easy for her. Her expression turned serious and she leaned forward on her elbows. "I've tracked down my share of leads over the years. Sometimes they pan out, sometimes they don't. But I would think you'd be accustomed to ferreting out stories from no more than a lead."
    "Oh, yeah. Don't get me wrong. That's how my biggest story originated. But this is different. It's not local and it's too flimsy to get backing from my editor to go chasing after it on the paper's dime. That means I'd have to cover my expenses as well as taking time off. Besides that, he gave me something else to follow up on since I've been back."
    Holly twisted her mouth as if she was considering his dilemma. She hadn't thought of the possibility that money would be a problem for him and it was too late to rectify that. It took all her self-control to give the kind of answer she would if she were not personally interested. "Then pass it on to somebody else, or forget it completely."
    "That's where the problem comes in. I rely on my instincts, and they're telling me there might be a hell of a story here."
    "Would the end justify the means, like prize-winning stuff?"
    He gave her a sly grin. "Possibly."
    "Maybe if you tell me about the lead I could be more helpful. I swear it wouldn't go any further." He only hesitated a moment before relating to her the information he had received about Jerry Frampton and Mick D'Angelo. She asked the expected questions about where he thought it might have come from then offered, "It sounds like it could be a dynamite exposé if it's based on fact. Tell me this, would any innocent people be hurt by your checking it out?"
    With a shrug, he said, "I could do some preliminary verification without anyone being the wiser. However, if it's true, there are already innocents being hurt."
    "If you don't follow it up, can you ignore that possibility? The David Wells I've gotten to know wouldn't be able to."
    He narrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Now that you said it aloud, I realize