He checked and saw that Kendall was speaking earnestly with Ann and gambled that she would be there a while and hurried toward the door.
Outside, the street was dead quiet. But down the block, he just caught a glimpse of someone rounding the corner.
He ran and turned the corner himself.
He came out on Royal Street, not far from Kendall’s apartment. The whole block was houses. There were a half-dozen narrow alleys and twice as many doors.
He stayed where he was for a long time, watching the street. Waiting. Finally he admitted he had lost whoever he had seen and was probably being a damned fool, besides. Anyone could have walked down the street; there was nothing illegal in that. For all he knew, he might have been following an underage drinker who thought he was a cop.
But Kendall lived on the next block.
The breeze shifted. He heard laughter from Canal Street and hurried back, afraid he might have missed Kendall. He didn’t want her walking home alone.
Back at the bar, Kendall had managed to extricate the girl from her friends. She was trying to be light and assertive at the same time.
The girl was giggling. “I met so many cute guys tonight. And lots of them asked to see me later.”
“Did you tell them where you were staying?” Kendall asked. “Are you alone?”
“No, I’m sharing a room with my friend.” Ann giggled again. “She went back early, but she’ll leave if I need her to. We have an agreement when it comes to men, you know?”
Kendall sighed. One of the men from the group walked over from the bar.
“Annie? Anything wrong?”
He was older than the girl. Maybe thirty.
After Aidan returned, he had been keeping his distance, but he decided to move in. “How do you know Ann?” he asked.
“We work together,” the man said.
“We’re just worried,” Aidan explained. “There’s a guy going around hitting on women and robbing them. Ann fits the look of the girls he goes after.” Not true, but it didn’t matter. “We’re just trying to make sure she’s safe tonight.”
The man frowned at Ann, then looked up at the two of them. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her.” He looked at Kendall. “I thought she said you were a psychic, so what are you doing acting like a cop?”
“I—”
“She’s with me, and I’m a private investigator working the case,” Aidan explained, and produced one of his business cards.
“I’m Joe Zimmer, and like I said, I’ll have my eye on her all night.”
Ann was pouting. Something flashed in her eyes.
She had made arrangements to meet someone, Aidan thought. But who?
Whoever had disappeared when he had looked toward the door?
He took a deep breath. At worst, the girl just wasn’t going to get lucky tonight.
At best, her life had just been saved.
Aidan set an arm on Kendall’s shoulders. “Well, have a great cruise. All of you. Good night.”
He steered Kendall out of the bar.
In the street, she drew away and faced him. “Thank you,” she said.
“Sure. Not a problem.”
“Are you going to lay off Vinnie now?” she asked, but there was no real venom in her tone. She just sounded tired.
“I need Vinnie to show me where Jenny Trent was staying,” he said.
“And if you’re nice, Vinnie won’t have a problem in the world with showing you,” she said.
“Glad to hear it. And now it’s late and time to go home.”
“Okay. Thanks again. I, uh, just live a couple of blocks away.”
“I know. I’ll walk you.”
“Please, you’ve walked around enough already on my behalf.”
“You know I’m going to walk you home.”
She actually offered him a weak smile. “Okay.”
He was annoyed with himself when he realized he was expecting to feel that sensation at the back of his neck that warned him they were being followed again.
Simple instinct, he told himself.
But the feeling didn’t come. If there had been a danger on the streets before, it was gone now.
When they arrived at her place, she opened the outer door, and he walked with her into the hallway.
She opened the door to her apartment, then leaned against the door frame and slipped off her sandals. Her smile was rueful as she said, “Thank you again. I know you think I’m crazy.”
“You think I’m a jerk,” he replied with a shrug.
“But you do come through in a crunch,” she told him.
“And you may be a little insane, but you’re also absolutely gorgeous.”
He thought she might stiffen up again, retreat. Slam the door in his face.
But she lowered her head, her smile deepening. “And you’re not bad-looking yourself—for a jerk,” she told him, and her eyes met his again. “Look, I’m not making a pass or anything, but…would you mind looking around my place?”
“Are you nervous?” he asked her.
“Silly, huh?”