Tempest Court. Jan Walters
ass in jail.” The younger officer tilted his head, glaring at the driver.
This guy needed a good lesson in PR.
“Good morning, everyone,” Brett bellowed. “What’s going on?”
The younger officer frowned at Brett. “I’ve got everything under control here.”
Brett smiled. “I see that.” He turned toward the two drivers and held out his hand. “License and registration, please.”
The steam seemed to drain out of both men as they fumbled in their pockets, looking for their licenses. Brett glanced over their heads at the officer.
“Why don’t you get statements from the witnesses standing over on the curb? I’ll take care of this. Oh, by the way, I’m O’Shea.”
The officer furrowed his brows. “Officer Schmidt. Carl Schmidt. I can take care of—”
“I realize that,” Brett interrupted, “but we need to get the street opened up. We don’t need a street brawl at seven in the morning.”
As Schmidt turned away, Brett swore he heard him mumble under his breath. He choked back laughter. After ordering the drivers back to their cars, Brett wrote the accident report, ensuring that the drivers had the required information for their insurance claims. Less than an hour later, the accident scene was cleared and traffic resumed.
Brett watched Schmidt direct the backed-up traffic. The officer’s jerky motions and red face seemed to be an indication of the man’s mood—his pissed-off mood. Once the traffic slowed to a normal pace, Brett walked up to Schmidt.
“Hey, I hope there are no hard feelings. I was trying to calm those guys down.”
Schmidt’s lip curled. “Yeah, well, I had everything under control before you got here.”
Brett took a deep breath. He knew he should smile and walk away. Hell, that just wasn’t his style. “From my perspective, those drivers were seconds away from slugging each other or you.”
Schmidt puffed out his chest and took a step toward Brett. “As I said, I had things under control. Let me do my job. Got it?”
Brett shook his head and raised his hand in front of Schmidt’s face. “Hey, shithead, I was doing you a favor.” Schmidt needed an attitude adjustment. Brett turned on his heels and got in the squad car.
Brett spent the rest of the morning getting familiar with the area. After two years, new housing developments had popped up, and businesses had changed or moved. Brett made sure to stop at several businesses and introduce himself.
Brett groaned, spotting the rug receipt on the seat next to him. He’d laid it there so he wouldn’t forget to call Morocco. He waited as the phone rang. After the sixth ring, someone answered.
“Hello. I’m calling about a rug I purchased a few weeks ago. Can I speak to Hassan, please?”
“What is your name?” the heavily accented voice demanded.
“Brett O’Shea. I live in Iowa in the States.”
Brett listened as the person on the phone spoke to someone in French. Geez! What’s the problem?
A new person took the phone. “Sir, it is Omar. You remember me?”
A grin lit Brett’s face. “Omar. How are you?”
“I am fine, sir. Did you receive the rug?”
“Yes, we received it a couple of days ago. When I opened the package, there was an old little vase thing in the package. I want to return it to you.”
Omar laughed. “Oh no, Mr. O’Shea, the jar is our gift to you. You keep it.”
“Is Hassan there? I want to talk to him.” Brett’s grin faded.
Omar’s tone changed from pleasant to all business. “Hassan is not available. Trust me, it is a gift. We want you to keep it.”
“But why?” Brett argued. “We didn’t pay full price for the rug. I’m sure Hassan didn’t mean to send us a gift.”
“Hassan is a very astute businessman, sir. He knows what he is doing. Enjoy your gift. Goodbye.”
Brett stared at his phone. Omar hung up on him. Asshole! He was returning the vase, and that was it. He angrily redialed the number. This time he got a busy signal. Omar must have purposely left the phone off the hook.
He flinched when his phone rang. Donnellson! They agreed to meet for lunch. An hour later, Brett put his phone aside as Donnellson slid into the booth. After ordering, they discussed their morning back on the street.
“I heard about the pileup on Hubbell Avenue this morning.”
Brett shrugged. “Yeah, pretty minor stuff. When I got there, Schmidt had two drivers all cranked up.”
Donnellson choked on his soda and started laughing. “Crazy Carl!”
A grin lit Brett’s face. “Crazy Carl? I don’t know about crazy, but he’s an arrogant asshole.”
“Oh, trust me, he’s crazy. He’s only been on the street for two years and has been written up a couple of times for excessive force.”
“I believe that.” Brett nodded. “If he doesn’t change soon, he’ll find himself fired.”
Donnellson’s cell phone rang. Brett cringed as his friend lit up. It had to be Layla. Brett hoped he didn’t come to regret inviting his friend to meet Layla. He wondered if she invited Donnellson to the grand opening of the exhibit.
After the call ended, Brett sipped his soda and watched Donnellson’s smile fade.
“What’s wrong?”
Donnellson shrugged. “Nothing. She invited me to the opening.”
“Well, that sounds like a good thing.”
“Yeah, it does. I don’t…”
Brett leaned across the table. “Damn it! I knew this would happen. Just when she starts liking you, you pull away.”
Donnellson ran his hand over his head. “Shit! I like her. It’s just moving so fast.”
“Then slow it down. You don’t have to marry Layla, you know.”
“You’re right. We can slow down.” Donnellson jammed the phone in his pocket, frown lines marring his face. “I think about her all the time.”
Brett shook his head. Was he like this when he fell in love with Lisa? “I’m not Dr. Phil, you know. You’re going to have to figure it out yourself. Either you want to be with her or not. Just don’t drag her along if you don’t have any feelings for her.”
Later that afternoon, Brett found himself thinking about Lisa. They’d been living together for several months now. It was like they had always lived together. Would he know when to take the next step—marriage?
Growling aloud, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He needed to take his own advice and not rush things. Besides, he was more perplexed about the mysterious vase and why it was a gift.
Chapter 9
A line of cars led up to the Art Center. If the number of people filing into the building was any indication, then it looked like Layla’s opening night was bound to be a success.
Brett adjusted his tie as he and Lisa entered the crowded lobby. Lisa squeezed his arm.
“I can’t believe that Layla organized all of this.” Lisa’s wide eyes took in every detail in the atrium.
“Do you know what section her exhibit is in?” Brett asked.
“Let’s follow the line of people. When is Kevin supposed to be here?”
“I