“He told me to help myself to something to drink,” Jake informed her. “I was getting a glass of iced tea.”
“Cops,” Nick said with a sigh. “Everything has to be a big mystery.” He shook his head, as if perplexed by a different species. “Let’s put the kettle on. Hot tea might be good now. Decaf for me, since I do intend to sleep sometime tonight.”
He walked around to the stove. Ashley and Jake were left standing almost on top of one another. Ashley backed off a little. She wished suddenly she slept in something a little more…dignified. Her T-shirt advertised a rock band from the last concert she’d been to and didn’t even fall to mid-thigh.
“I should get a robe,” she murmured.
“Listen, Nick, I’ll just get back to the Gwendolyn,” Jake said. “If you’ve checked on that little matter for me?”
“I did.” He reached into the pocket of his jeans and produced a key. “It was right where it should have been.”
Frowning, Ashley stared at Jake. Apparently he didn’t feel he needed to give her an explanation.
“Are there any others out there?” Nick asked.
“No,” Jake said, then hesitated. “Actually…yes. I hadn’t thought about it in…a long time. I’d forgotten. But yes, you’re right. There is another one out there.”
He looked grim. Not the kind of guy you would want to mess with.
“Hey, Ash, grab some mugs, will you?” Nick said.
She walked around the counter and opened the cabinet. As she did so, Sharon walked into the kitchen, yawning, stretching. She was in a long, midnight-blue silk gown and robe. She had no makeup on, her hair was tousled, and she looked like a million bucks. Ashley knew her own hair was snarled around her face. And her T-shirt was…a T-shirt.
“We having a party in here?” Sharon inquired, smiling but obviously a little confused.
“Just tea,” Nick told her. He kissed her on the forehead. “Sorry we woke you. Cops. Everything is a drama, you know.”
“Cops? Did we have a problem?” she asked.
“No, a lack of communication,” Nick said, smiling. “And now we’re all awake. Like I said, sorry.”
“It’s okay, I don’t have to be anywhere until eleven. But, Ashley,” she said, concern on her features. “You have to be in class at seven.”
“Oh, she’s all right. She told me she’s still young enough to go without sleep,” Nick informed her cheerfully. “Hey, we’re in good shape, Sharon. We have Miami-Dade’s finest stalking one another in our kitchen.”
The kettle began to whistle.
“I’ll get milk and sugar,” Sharon offered. “There’s hot chocolate, too, if anyone would rather have that. Jake, would you like herbal tea?”
“No, thank you. I’m just going to head back.”
“The water’s boiled, and we’re all here,” Sharon said.
“Just tea then, thank you, regular tea.”
“Okay, one black tea. Ashley, here you go, and the sugar and milk. She takes loads of both,” Sharon told Jake, smiling.
“Two cops,” Nick murmured, getting his own cup. “We’re lucky you two didn’t shoot each other!”
“Hey, speaking of business,” Sharon said. “Jake, it was nice of you to go to the hospital tonight. That was your partner who picked you up earlier, right? Marty?”
“He comes in and talks to Sandy now and then. Sandy loves to keep up on what’s going on in his city.”
“Sandy is a bright old guy.”
“Is there anything you can do to help Ashley’s friend?” Sharon asked anxiously.
“I can ask a few questions, find out how the investigation is going,” Jake told her. “But it’s not my case, not even my area.”
“Still, it’s nice of you to help,” Sharon said, then stretched and yawned and looked at Nick affectionately. “Busy night, huh? Oh, Ashley, a few friends of yours came by, too.”
Ashley frowned, remembering that she should have called Karen and Jan, and brought them up to date on Stuart’s situation. But would they have come by Nick’s?
“From the academy,” Sharon said.
“No, the one kid is already a cop,” Nick corrected her. “What’s his name? Len Green, I think. Officer Green. He was here with that really big, good-looking black fellow, Arne.”
“Did they want anything?” Ashley asked.
“Hamburgers,” Nick said.
“Nick, I meant—”
“They asked for you,” Sharon said, smiling. “I guess they were just hungry, and figured they might be able to get a bite to eat and pay a social call at the same time. Anyway, I explained that you’d gone to the hospital to see a friend.”
“Thanks. Well, if they needed anything, I’ll see them tomorrow. Arne, at least. I don’t see Len Green every day—he works down south. But if there was anything important, Arne will tell me.”
“Nice guys,” Sharon commented. “They spent some time talking with Sandy, too. He seemed to enjoy them.”